Colliding Worlds
by CMK
Summary: Called from all corners of the globe, warriors come to participate in a new tournament. But uncertainly and doubt hang ominously over their gathering. And who is the mysterious M.? Epilogue up: One story has ended. Also, extra Bloopers bonus!
1. Prologue: The Challenge

** Colliding Worlds   
Prologue: The Challenge **   
  


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**Author's Notes:** Mitsukake Kagatoshi is an original character and belongs to Chan Yoruyamatiha (thanks for letting me use him, Chan!). Ernest McGrath is an original character and belongs to me. Expect to see some more OCs in this story as it progresses along. If you want to learn more about McGrath, visit my profile and look under the Close-Up section. For those of you who've already read it, I revised this chapter in order to correct a plethora of glaring grammatical mistakes.   
  


* * *

_ Aohura City, Japan _   
  
Panting heavily, Sakura Kasugano and Mitsukake Kagatoshi paused for a moment to catch some air. Sakura, a fresh-faced student of Minami High, leaned forward gasping for breath. They were within Minami's indoor gym and had brought out special sparring mats for the occasion. Sakura's cropped brown hair was hanging in strands down her face as sweat poured down her whole body. Dressed in a Japanese sailor suit, Sakura had already tumbled into the dust a number of times. She had a strong feeling that her parents would be _most_ disapproving of today's episode. Beside her, Mitsukake had fared no better. He was considerably taller than Sakura, with light brown hair, tanned skin, a straight face, and large eyes that Sakura found adorable. Now those eyes were veiled and cautious; he was worn down and haggard, fatigued by the fight. He was dressed in an exercise outfit. Both he and Sakura gazed warily at the opponent in front of them, on guard against any sudden moves.   
  
_What's with this guy?_ Sakura wondered to herself. She knew that he was an American, one with short brown hair, dark brown eyes, serious expression, clean shaven jaw, and about thirty centimeters height advantage over her. He was wearing light, comfortable clothing. Sakura knew that he was around his mid-forties in age. _Doesn't look like a fighter, but looks deceive. He must be as good - heck, who am I fooling, he's much better than Ryu! He's not even breathing hard after that last bit of smackdown he delivered. A two-against-one fight, but the two of us are getting beaten hard._ She knew him, of course; he was a visiting teacher from the United States, had some friends in Japan, and was fluent in Japanese. Steadying herself, Sakura charged up for another Shinkuu Hadouken. This time, she winked at Mitsukake, who cleared a space for her and circled around the American.   
  
Instead of sending out a big energy blast - she was too spent for that - Sakura modified the Shinkuu Hadouken and launched her hands forward, releasing a burst of light. Instantly the whole room went white and Sakura heard Mitsukake rush in for the kill. _Okay, the American is ... there. Now all I have to do is pummel him from that side - huh, where is he? What the -!_ As the light cleared, Sakura caught sight of her opponent and instantly realized her mistake. He'd moved, and moved quickly. Mitsukake was already down on the mats; in a blur of motion, the American swept Sakura's feet, crouched, and delivered a symbolic kill blow into her stomach. _Drat! I can't believe we lost so fast!_   
  
"Mr. Akishiro wasn't kidding," Mitsukake groaned, pulling himself upright. "You _are_ good - I've never seen so much ass get kicked in such a short time."   
  
Ernest Christopher McGrath chuckled. "You're not so bad yourself, Mitsukake, Sakura." He offered his hand to Sakura and pulled her upright. "But I saw that last attack coming. You two work very well as a team."   
  
"Not well enough," Sakura replied, somewhat disappointed. The way the man moved ...! "You're an old man, Dr. McGrath, but you still fight better than anyone I've ever seen. In fact, I think I can honestly say I've never met anyone who could even approach your quality of combat. What style do you use?"   
  
McGrath shrugged. "I learned multiple styles and combined them, taking the most effective elements of each. You praise me too much, Sakura. Here, let's say that I throw a straight punch at you, Mitsukake. How would you counter it?" He slowly thrusted with his left arm and Mitsukake easily blocked the attack. He blocked several more that came his way. McGrath nodded. "Good. Now do the same to me."   
  
McGrath blocked the first attack, parried the second, dodged the third, and on the fourth punch he pulled Mitsukake forward by the elbow straight into a hard uppercut. "Always be aware of the arsenal of moves available to you. I noticed that both of you block but do little else by way of defense. Remember, every technique can be countered - sometimes not easily, but it can be countered."   
  
Sakura scratched her head. "Then how in the world do you counter that fast-moving beatdown of yours? What's that move called?" They'd seen him practice it earlier - he'd rushed at a training dummy and beaten it into splinters within a few seconds.   
  
McGrath nodded sagely, tossing a water bottle to Sakura and handing one to Mitsukake. "You're referring to the MAXIMUM Mayhem Rampage, no doubt. It takes a lot of concentration for me to execute. It has its advantages, though - totally unblockable, goes through fireballs, and comes out far too quickly for most people to see. Dodge it, or better yet, stuff it with a higher priority attack. You could probably counter it with your Midare Zakura move." He did not mention the other part of the technique - his friend Blake Wallis had once clocked him, 45 full-power hits in a bare 3.25 seconds.   
  
"I see ..." Sakura said. "Thanks for sparring with us, Dr. McGrath. Oh yeah, Akishiro said that you wanted to see us about something."   
  
"Glad you brought that up." McGrath pulled an envelope out of his side pocket, prompting Sakura and Mitsukake to glance at each other. They already knew the contents. McGrath flipped open the head of the envelope to reveal a small card of the finest cardpaper. Words inscribed in a beautiful, flowing calligraphy had been handwritten on the card in a dark gold ink. McGrath passed the card around; Sakura and Mitsukake already knew what it contained, for they too had received their letters in the mail.   
  


_Dear Dr. Ernest McGrath:   
  
You are hereby cordially invited to the World Collision tournament,   
which is to be held four months from now. This tournament will bring   
together worthy fighters from all over the world, fighters such as   
yourself. Should you choose to accept this invitation, a package   
containing contact information has also been delivered to your   
address. Best of wishes and I hope to see you there.   
  
Sincerely,   
M. _

  
  
"So you received one, Dr. McGrath?" Mitsukake asked, stating the obvious. "Do you know who this 'M.' person is?" _Stars, I hope that it's not M. Bison,_ Sakura prayed. _He was supposed to be dead after that Thailand incident and came back for the second World Warrior tournament. Don't tell me he survived that tournament too!_   
  
"No clue. I suppose that I'll find out during the tournament."   
  
"Oh, so you already signed up?" Sakura asked, surprised. She'd received her invitation three days ago and was still in the middle of begging her parents' permission to attend. "I'd go, but my parents are against it." She did not mention that there were some parts of the contact information that she'd have to pass before she could register.   
  
"And for good reason," McGrath said, but not unkindly. "Rumor has it that the tournament is allowing all sorts of weapons, some of them quite dangerous."   
  
"I take it that you're going, Mitsukake," Sakura noted, with just a slight trace of bitterness in her voice.   
  
"If you go, certainly," Mitsukake replied. "Otherwise, I don't see why I should bother."   
  
Sakura addressed herself to McGrath. "Say, would you come for dinner tonight around seven? My parents aren't all that receptive to the idea of having a foreigner in the house, but I could talk them into it. I'd like you to try and persuade them into allowing me to enter the tournament."   
  
The doctor instantly quashed that idea. "I'm sorry, but I must decline. I have an appointment tonight with an old friend ..."   
  


* * *

_ Tokyo, Japan   
Five hours have passed _   
  
Night. Ernest McGrath checked his wristwatch again - 8:41. His contact should've been here eleven minutes ago. He was alone at the end of a long alley which had recently been abandoned by a trio of rats. The alley was much run-down - alongside the ever-present graffiti marking this place as the home turf of the I.C.E. gang, there were littered soft drink cans, spent bullet casings, ragged strips of paper, and worse. He'd chosen this alleyway because it twisted close to its middle, thus shielding the occupants from prying eyes and ears. McGrath stood in the shadows, keeping very still. He felt right at home.   
  
Again his mind thought back. Three days ago, the invitations had come - one to him, one to each member of the IDC strike force of which his wife was the commander. After a short session with the IDC field marshal, the decision had been made to send him, his wife Samantha McGrath, and the two _Phantom_ members Blake Wallis and Sir Lloyd Cunningham to the tournament. No use risking the whole strike force, so the others declined their invitations. So now he was in Japan, looking for others who had been invited to the tournament - World Collision, what an odd name. And after Japan, there would be China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, and thence westward until he returned to the states. All to see if anyone had an inkling as to who "M." might be.   
  
A figure came into sight and McGrath made no move. A moment later, the mysterious contact jumped down from a nearby roof, landed hard on the concrete, and growled, "Who summoned me?"   
  
"It's been a long time, Gouki," McGrath began. "Are you well?"   
  
"Akuma."   
  
"Fine, Akuma." McGrath emerged from the shadows into the moonlight and faced Gouki, or Akuma, or whatever he called himself nowadays. Akuma wore a rosary around his neck, had braided his reddish hair into a samurai topknot, used a rope instead of a belt, and his karate uniform appeared well-worn and ragged. Most disturbing to McGrath's perception were Akuma's eyes - a bright red that filled his entire eye, brimming with passion. Akuma folded his arms.   
  
"Why have you called me?"   
  
"Come now, Akuma," McGrath replied, "is that any way to greet an old friend?"   
  
"I have changed."   
  
"I noticed," McGrath responded coolly. "You're not the Gouki I used to know - brash, cool, devoted. Fun. Remember that time when you and Gouken and I sneaked up behind Goutetsu as he was taking his afternoon nap? And how we dumped him into the lake? The look on his face was priceless." Although, come to think of it, Goutetsu _had_ beaten them for it.   
  
"I fail to see the point of this meaningless chatter."   
  
Abruptly McGrath became serious. "There is one thing I'd like to know. By now, you may have received a small envelope containing an elegant card. Were you invited to the World Collision tournament?" The expression in his face indicated that he expected a straight answer.   
  
"Am I _ever_ invited?"   
  
"I see. Read this." McGrath held out his invitation card and Akuma took it without a word. The Master of the Fist read it slowly, twice, before returning it. McGrath replaced it in a side pocket. "So ... do you have any idea who this 'M.' fellow is?"   
  
"No. But if he invited you ... you have changed, too, Ernest."   
  
"That makes two of us," McGrath observed dryly. "You'd be a worthy opponent for me, Akuma - possibly the greatest challenger in my time. Who knew that two simple boys could turn out like this? I've known you for nearly my whole life and I've never met anyone stronger."   
  
"... You too, a fearsome enemy. You may be the one who kills me in a deathmatch. Is that why you called me?"   
  
"No. I asked you to come in order to find out if you're participating in the tournament, but I guess your answer is a no." McGrath paused for a moment. "I have no wish to fight you right now. After the tournament, then maybe. I expect the Chaos Prince to appear in that tournament and if he does I'll have my hands full contending with him."   
  
"The Chaos Prince ...? Interesting ..."   
  
"That's all I have to say." McGrath paused for a moment. "I'd stay and gossip with you - twenty-five years is a long time for anyone - but you obviously don't care for conversation. I'll be seeing you in the future; until then, stay safe, Akuma."   
  
"You too, Ernest."   
  
With that, Akuma turned and walked away. McGrath remained in the alley for another twenty minutes. So, even his old friend Akuma was in the dark about "M." McGrath began sorting potential candidates through his mind. Okay, he could rule himself out automatically. M. Bison was dead. Usually a dead person was out of the picture by default, but in the past Bison had hosted the second World Warrior tournament despite the fact that he'd been killed earlier in a Thailand base explosion. This time, McGrath hoped that his death was permanent - Shun Goku Satsu targeted the soul, after all - but he couldn't afford to rule Bison out. The other major candidate was Demitri Maximoff, but Maximoff wasn't the type to begin gathering together people for a tournament. Besides, IDC reconnaissance had detected no unusual signs of activity from Maximoff castle at all. McGrath had to admit that even he was clueless this time.   
  
_Just who is 'M.' anyway?_


	2. A Flair for Dramatic Entrance

**A Flair for Dramatic Entrance**   
  


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**Author's Notes:** I don't own any of the Capcom characters, nor do I claim to. All original characters are used with the permission of their respective creators. Thanks, everybody! (But I took artistic license with the character if you didn't provide me some specs. So no complaining, you had your chances!) English names are used: Charlie instead of Nash, Akuma instead of Gouki, Balrog is the boxer, Vega is the Spaniard, and Bison is the lord of Shadowlaw. The only exception is to this rule is Sodom instead of Katana.   
  
**Chan Yoruyamatiha:** You liked it, huh? Anyway, here's the next chapter, posted before you decide to shear me apart or something like that. I hope you enjoy it, just don't mind some of, ah, Edgar's comments. And McGrath's cute connection? I've never thought of any connection with Akuma being cute. I'll have you know, storylinewise, McGrath is _very_ badass. See, haggling does get results! (Not that I'm implying anything ...)   
  
**Kikoken:** (Sweats nervously) Um, will you still like it after this chapter?   
  
**C. Nash:** The Rugal connection was one that I had in mind when I designed this story. Occasionally, I'll be dropping hints and clues to help the reader identify M., although I expect very few people to find out. Canon-wise, this story occurs after SF3, but I've made many special exceptions for it.   
  
**Blue-Eyes Knight:** And Mason is in the story! As are you ... unfortunately, you have been assigned the morally downtrodden task of looking after Kikoken and Chan. What's with all these people asking me for updates, anyway?   
  
**DeNice:** Got your mail just tonight. Thanks, buddy! Rest assured that I have some very big plans for ... well, just about everyone in this fic, really. (Glances nervously at Chan.) Um, that's really all I can say without giving away too much. But if you think I'm going to up and tell you who M. is, you'd better think again ...   
  


* * *

_ Atlanta, USA   
One month has passed _   
  
"So, what's all this about, Edgar?" Kikoken asked. Slinging a duffel bag over her shoulder, Kikoken slid into step alongside Edgar. She was exactly five and a half feet tall, slim and pretty, but a discerning eye could easily identify the sleek, toned muscles that came from years of training. She wore a loose, comfortable set of blue exercise pants, a drying black T-shirt, and a pair of sneakers from some company which Edgar had never heard of. Kikoken herself had flaxen-colored hair that went down to the small of her back, but it was tinged with streaks of natural, brilliant blue. Her eyes shone a bright, icy azure.   
  
Edgar, for his part, wore loose denim jeans, a gray undershirt, and a vest one size too small in order to accentuate his muscular frame. He was taller than Kikoken by half a foot. Underneath the jeans were traditional Chinese shoes. His hair was brown and cropped close to his skull, his eyes a dark brown hue. He might have been intimidating had it not been for the smile that played about his lips and the fact that his eyes fairly gleamed with merriment or mischief. Laughing and smiling, Edgar and Kikoken jaunted down the street in lockstep. It was past midnight, but the heart of Atlanta gleamed brightly thanks to various streetlamps and the headlights of the ever-present, ubiquitous car.   
  
"Well, since you said that you were participating in the World Collision tournament, I thought you might want to meet a friend of mine," Edgar said. He, too, had made no secret of the fact that he was joining in the competition. A media blitz had already begun and the phrase "World Collision" was on everyone's lips. The fact that one was only allowed to join if invited, however, had drawn protests from all quarters. Two days ago, Edgar had read an article in a prestigious newspaper speculating on the identity of "M." He himself was quite curious.   
  
"A friend of yours?"   
  
"Yes, she was also invited and jumped at the opportunity. I tried to talk her out of it, but when she gets an idea ..." Edgar shrugged, his movement saying more than his words. "She's - let's see, fifteen this year - and can handle herself in a scrap well enough, but at a level of this tournament ..." Edgar himself was twenty-five, Kikoken nineteen. "She's currently an exchange student studying in Japan, but she agreed to come here tonight on my invitation. Her name is Chan Yoruyamatiha and she loves dramatic entrances. I think even you will be impressed."   
  
"You know how much it takes to impress me, Edgar?" Kikoken queried. "Where are we going?"   
  
"Shortcut back to my dojo," Edgar replied. "Anyway, where was I ... oh, yes, Kikoken, I've been meaning to ask if you had a clue as to the identity of M." It was actually a random thought designed to keep up the flow of the conversation.   
  
She was about to shrug before remembering that she was carrying a duffel bag, so Kikoken settled with a mere shake of the head. They were wandering through a dark portion of the city that spanned a number of back alleys. A highly trained part of Edgar's mind noted every shape and shadow, mentally cataloguing the situation with every step. Despite his size, his tread made less sound than Kikoken's. Once they were accosted by a number of cockroaches, each one the size of a half-dollar coin. Edgar ignored them, Kikoken made a face but said nothing.   
  
Edgar's dojo was a nondescript building wedged between a pair of restaurants. The storefront was about twenty-five feet wide and big words in the windows proclaimed "Edgar's School of Ninjutsu." A more accurate phrase might've been "Edgar's School of Butt-Kick." To Kikoken's knowledge, Edgar was well-known for producing fighters more than capable of handling themselves against multiple opponents - if they endured the grueling training, that is. Usually only half a dozen students graduated any given year. The school was always hovering on the edge of bankruptcy without actually folding. At twenty-five years of age, Edgar was easily the youngest officially recognized Ninjutsu teacher.   
  
Edgar opened the doors and consulted his watch simultaneously, noting the condition of both. "We're about ten minutes early. Can I get you some tea, Kikoken? Or maybe you'd like to have a game of cards?" She politely declined both. When Edgar disappeared around the back to sort through an extra deck of cards he'd received in the mail, Kikoken got her first good look at the dojo.   
  
It was a plain, simple room, hardly worth noticing, if it weren't for the fact that it was actually quite a large room - enormous in the heart of Atlanta. The plaster had begun to peel off the walls in multiple places, small cracks had appeared, and the mats that Edgar used looked a dozen years old. The mats were tan, the walls a dirty white, and the entire dojo looked badly run down. A few old-fashioned lightbulbs completed the scene. Kikoken brushed a strand of blue/gold hair out of her eyes as Edgar returned to the room, sorting through a deck of cards.   
  
Kikoken smiled to herself. Though she had never trained under Edgar - her instructor was an old Karate master who had died years ago - Kikoken knew Edgar very well. They'd attended the same school back in the old days and Edgar was the one who always stood up for any person who happened to be the target of a random bullying attempt. It was one such situation that had convinced Kikoken to learn rudimentary self-defense; she couldn't always rely on innate abilities. Edgar, on the other hand, despite the fact that he was a master of Ninjutsu, had built his fighting style around the power of his playing cards. Kikoken caught him slipping an Imperial Decree and a Blue-Eyes White Dragon into his main deck. Stars above, how many of those dragons did he have, anyway?   
  
"Enough to earn the title 'Blue-Eyes Knight' from my students," Edgar replied with a wink. Kikoken belatedly realized that she'd thought aloud. He held up another card, this one something that Kikoken couldn't recognize. "I won this at the national tournament a few weeks ago," Edgar explained. "It's Ra, last and arguably deadliest of the God cards. Costs a lot to play, though, which is why I hardly ever use it."   
  
Kikoken arched an eyebrow in a skeptical fashion. "That card? Edgar, it has a bunch of question marks for its attack and defense power. How could that be so powerful?"   
  
"It's attack and defense are equal to the cards sacrificed to play it," Edgar explained. "And when you consider how many cards have to be tributed in order to bring Ra into play - well, you get the idea. It's kinda hard to keep up a strong deck when you're sacrificing so many good cards." He disappeared into the back room again, then emerged without his deck. Edgar looked around the room, glanced at his watch. "Another three minutes. Well, until Chan gets here - how's the family, Kikoken?"   
  
"Same as always."   
  
"And how's school -" Edgar abruptly cut off, tensed, and whispered, "Did you hear that?" Kikoken nodded.   
  
A moment later, the ceiling tiles caved in and four black ropes dropped down. Before Edgar or Kikoken could react, four black-suited commandos slid into the room on the ropes, each one armed with brass knuckles and stun prods. Their would-be victims moved, Edgar going high and Kikoken low. Another four commandos dropped in; from the storefront, the doors flew open and more commandos piled into the room. There was no time at all to talk before the fight degenerated into a free-for-all.   
  
Each commando wore a ski mask and a black fighting suit. Edgar slipped beneath a punch and brought his fist up, hard, glancing as he did so at the back room. Too many commandos between him and it, though; without his deck, his fighting power was severely compromised. On the other side, Kikoken fended off a jab but was kicked in the shins. Edgar winced, but in sympathy for the commandos - in a situation like this, a pissed Kikoken was a virtual death warrant. Edgar blocked another jab and dropped on his back, pulling his opponent over his head and landing him neckfirst into the mat in a classic circle throw. Then the room suddenly shone with a strange bluish light for an instant. Edgar instinctively ducked; a moment later, Kikoken flung her right hand out, a razor-sharp blade of water materializing from her palms and slicing cleanly into a commando's body, where it splashed and drenched his whole uniform. Kikoken followed the attack with her left hand, flinging a meter-high wave of water through the entire room. A series of inventive curses informed both of them that the stun prods, now wet, had been turned against their users.   
  
Coast clear, Edgar sprinted for the back room, reappearing a moment later with his Yu-Gi-Oh card deck in his vest pocket. He hastily drew a card, glanced at it, then glanced at the commandos regrouping in the front of the dojo, and made his decision. A moment later, the card disappeared in a puff of smoke and a large, rectangularly shaped portion of the floor began to glow. Edgar braced himself for the attack to come.   
  
Had any of the commandos known the rules of the game, they surely would not have tried to cross the patch of glowing light. One of them did; a moment later, the glowing rectangle erupted in a blaze of color, a gigantic mouth appearing beneath the man. With a quick scream abruptly cut short, the commando was swallowed whole and a huge insect sprang up, jaws slavering in anticipation. Once again surprised, the commandos shouted, cursed, and tripped over each other in their haste to get away. Edgar grinned. "How do you like my Man-Eating Bug? Automatically devours an opponent when activated, fools."   
  
"Any bug can be crushed," a new voice interrupted. Edgar and Kikoken both spun and looked upwards; a moment later, a masked man with a wickedly gleaming claw on one hand dove down from the ceiling and impaled the bug on his claw. He elegantly backflipped, avoiding both the bug's corpse and Kikoken's abortive attempt at nailing him with a burst of water. Edgar's bug disappeared in a spray of multicolored light, stunning him. The commandos charged again; before Edgar could pull out another card or recover from his shock, the masked man had a claw to his throat. Kikoken, rushing over to help, was waylaid by the commandos and instantly stunned into submission. A minute later, both of them were securely tied.   
  
The mysterious man removed his mask, revealing a beautiful, refined face. Unlike the commandos, he wore a silk shirt and silk pants, tied with a long red sash around his waist. His hair was brown, every strand tucked perfectly in place. He was an inch over six feet tall, but most disturbing was something about his eyes and manner that screamed insanity. He bowed elaborately to Edgar and Kikoken. "Forgive my rudeness. My name is Vega."   
  
"The famous matador?" Kikoken asked.   
  
"None other, beautiful lady," Vega answered. He shifted his gaze to her and Kikoken wished that she'd never spoken up. "Now, if you'll be so kind as to come back with me, my boss has taken interest in you."   
  
"I don't know who you work for, but no thanks. I'm not one of your showgirls." To emphasize her point, Kikoken transformed into a puddle of water, instantly slipping out of the confining ropes and reforming herself behind Edgar. Unfortunately, she had been preempted by Vega and instantly felt a claw on her throat. The commandos had a number of stun prods all over Edgar. "You are most remarkable, my dear," Vega said conversationally, "but try that stunt again and your friend will have the shock of his life."   
  
"Don't listen to him, Kikoken," Edgar spat through gritted teeth. "Get out of here, now!"   
  
Vega rapped him on the head. "Quiet, fool. You don't have a line at this point and the script says that neither of you are supposed to escape."   
  
"Oh, right," Edgar grimaced. "Sorry, Vega, I forgot about that. Go on."   
  
Vega put a hand to his chin, stroking thoughtfully. "Um, where were we ...? Oh, yes! Anyway, Kikoken, my boss wishes to see you. So, if you'll quietly come with me, we can avoid further ... unpleasantries." Heartbroken, Kikoken glanced despairingly at Edgar, then at Vega, who seemed to be enjoying the whole scene tremendously. Inwardly, though, she was seething at Edgar. _If the author decides to do this scene again because of that screwup, I'm going to beat Edgar to a pulp._   
  
The commandos tied Kikoken up again, securing her hands behind her back. Vega strode over to her and whispered in his exotic Spanish accent. "Come, my dear, it will not be as difficult as you believe." Kikoken closed her eyes. A small part of her was attracted to the gorgeous man, but her body screamed with suppressed revulsion when Vega leaned over and planted a quick kiss on her cheeks. _I specifically asked him to take this part out in the last revision. Who kept this in the script?!_ Face burning, Kikoken felt an almost uncontrollable urge to show Vega the full force of her mastery over water. Edgar, for his part, was straining hard against the ropes and struggling to get his hands on Vega.   
  
Everybody looked up when a mysterious wind began to blow through the room. Kikoken's eyes automatically fixed on the doors, but they were tightly closed. And the wind was certainly not coming from above; instead, it seemed to circle around the room, growing stronger and stronger with each repetition until even Vega had to struggle to stay on his feet. Kikoken noticed a tangible wave of fear spreading through the commandos; she herself felt ill at ease. Only Edgar seemed to remain calm in the midst of the storm. As the wind strengthened, it gradually started to become material, darkening out the incandescent light bulbs. Now at hurricane level strength - more than half the commandos had been blown over already, and Vega was shouting something incoherent - the wind whirled around the center of the room and began to collect there. The center darkened into near opaqueness, but Kikoken's sharp eyes made out a human form gathering itself together in the middle. Glancing at Edgar, she caught him mouthing some words at her: _I told you Chan loves dramatic entrances._   
  
In a moment, all sound instantly died out and left the room dead quiet, the wind stopping in an instant. Vega made a few ineffective swipes at the shape in the center of the room. Kikoken concluded that the commandos were positively spooked at this point, many of them glancing longingly at the entrance to the dojo. Then, in the deadness of the air, a single question was whispered. _Sou desu ka?_   
  
The commandos screamed as the air suddenly turned lethal, instantly changing from stillness into a razor-sharp whirlwind that tore flesh from bones. A massive spray of blood ensued as they banged frantically and ineffectively against the glass; the wind took them off their feet and began to shear them apart. Kikoken shut her eyes, but after a moment realized that the air was curving around Edgar and herself. Vega, too, seemed unaffected. The whirlwind, now crimson, raged violently in the center of the room; suddenly, both doors burst open and the wind rushed out, taking the mutilated bodies of the commandos with it. As the darkness dispersed, a lone figure remained where the storm had centered and Kikoken had her first impression of Chan Yoruyamatiha.   
  
To her surprise, Chan was Caucasian. She measured five-eight, making her taller than Kikoken, though not by much. Underneath her fancy yellow/black robe she seemed slender and small. As Kikoken's eyes focused more, she saw that Chan wore a black undershirt, black pants, a gold vest, and a dark yellow tunic that came a little bit beneath the knees. Chan also had black fur-trimmed boots. She kept all of this in place with a unicolored black belt. Her eyes were deep black, and whereas Kikoken's hair was gold tinged with blue, Chan's was shoulder-length and midnight sable except for a pair of blonde bangs stylishly pulled down to the side of her head, perfectly emphasizing her oval face. She looked a couple of years older than fifteen.   
  
Vega, much taken aback, could only step backwards in alarm, claw raised defensively. "Wha -?"   
  
Edgar grinned; Chan fixed her eyes on Vega and Kikoken inwardly shivered. She'd seen career assassins with gentler eyes than the kind that Chan was turning on Vega. Chan snapped her fingers; a powerful wind came out of nowhere and instantly had Vega suspended in the air, legs dangling a foot off the floor. That same wind quietly sliced through the bonds confining Edgar and Kikoken. Rubbing his wrists together, Edgar checked his cards. Untouched.   
  
Chan glared at Vega. "I don't know who you are. But I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you weep or quiver -"   
  
"Spare me, I can't believe I'm hearing this," Vega groaned. Kikoken facefaulted.   
  
"What?" Chan demanded, carelessly dropping Vega to the floor. He landed with a thud and a muffled oath.   
  
"Um, Chan," Edgar ventured, "according to the author's script, that line is supposed to be 'I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you keep your liver.' Do it again."   
  
"Oh, right. Sorry, Vega." Chan lifted her left forearm and the ghost wind hung Vega in the air before he could voice his protest. "Okay, the line was ... right - I don't know who you are. I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you keep your liver. But I _will_ give you something to remember me by." Chan closed her eyes; before Vega could protest, she pointed right. The Spanish matador went flying on a ghostly gale, ramming into the wall of the dojo. Impassive, Chan then pointed left and Vega went flying in the opposite direction, banging headfirst into the left wall. Still unmoved, Chan pointed in various directions and Vega tumbled past her, shouting as he did so. "Chan! This - isn't in - the script!"   
  
Chan's eyes snapped open and Vega screeched to a halt, halfway to Edgar's floor. "I know," Chan replied softly. "I lied when I said that I don't know you - of course I do, and script be damned! I've always wanted to do this, and now that I have the chance ..." Vega was about to say something else, but Chan introduced him to the ceiling. "Oh, cheer up, Vega, if the author doesn't include this in the story, at least we can laugh about it later when we watch the bloopers edition of Colliding Worlds." So saying, Chan opened her fist and Vega dropped from the ceiling like a brick, landing hard at her feet.   
  
"I'm gonna shpeak wisth my agenth about thish," Vega threatened. He abruptly shut his mouth when a wild wind blew from behind him, fanning out Chan's hair and clothes in a manner that made her look like a vengeful Greek goddess. Deciding that wisdom was the better part of valor, Vega scrambled from the dojo, his face and arms black with bruises.   
  
"Hey, wasn't he a Shadowlaw assassin?" Edgar asked.   
  
"Um, we're not supposed to know that, Edgar," Kikoken replied. "The script -"   
  
"Forget the script, we screwed up this scene already." Edgar paused for a moment. "But where are my manners? Kikoken, this is Chan Yoruyamatiha; Chan, this is Kikoken." The two women shook hands cordially. "Although, Chan isn't her real name, it's actually -"   
  
"Ah, shut up, Edgar!" Chan leaped at Edgar; he caught her and they tumbled onto the mats, scuffling playfully. "Never ..." - thwack! - "... ever ..." - slap! - "... say my real name ..." Edgar blocked another slap and righted himself. Chan got up by vanishing into a wind for a moment, then reforming herself in a standing position. "So ... were you impressed?" Chan asked Kikoken.   
  
"Definitely," Kikoken replied. "Chan, you have such a flair for dramatic entrances."   
  
Chan looked down modestly. "It's nothing. I did enjoy owning Vega, though."   
  
"Pwn," Edgar corrected. "It's pwn. Get your geekspeak straight, Chan."   
  
"What's the difference?" Kikoken asked.   
  
Chan rolled her eyes. "There _is_ no difference, not unless you ask Edgar. He says that 'own' is just own, while 'pwn' stands for 'power own,' which is more painful than mere own." She paused. "Which, when you think about it, is more appropriate when you think of what I did to Vega. That was fun!"   
  
Edgar sighed. "I never understood you two. You both have such great powers, why not use them to fight for justice?"   
  
Chan turned to Kikoken in a professionally curious manner. "Oh, so you're also one of the Lian, Kikoken? Which element do you control?"   
  
"Water. Chan, I have to say, I admire your precision with the wind."   
  
Chan dismissed the comment with a wave of her hand. "Thank you, but I'm sure you're no less skilled, Kikoken. Poor Edgar, having to sit there listening to us gossip! Did you inherit your power from your parents, or were you part of the ritual, like me?"   
  
Kikoken looked down. After a suddenly tense silence, Chan quietly ventured, "Did I say something wrong?"   
  
Edgar glanced at Kikoken and then at Chan before giving the explanation. "Kikoken doesn't know her true family. The people she's living with right now adopted her when she was twelve. But her memory doesn't go back any further than that - it's like a blank slate where her earliest years should be. Kikoken is rather sensitive about this."   
  
"I'm sorry."   
  
Kikoken shook her head slowly. "No, it's not your fault. Edgar, you wanted us to meet. Is there something specific you had in mind?"   
  
"Yeah." Edgar rifled through his deck of cards. "I heard that both of you were participating in the World Collision tournament - despite my best efforts to dissuade you two - so I figured -"   
  
"Yes," Kikoken said.   
  
"Definitely," Chan agreed. Perhaps she might even meet _him_ there.   
  
"Then it's settled. Great! But remember, I don't want the two of you messing around, okay? The people we faced here tonight were poor fighters by any standard - well, Vega wasn't - but you get the idea. At the tournament you can expect to see some of the best warriors show up from around the world."   
  
Chan laughed. "Don't sound so gloomy, Edgar! No matter how strong, all I have to do is breathe sharply and they'll be blown away."   
  
"I'm _particularly_ worried about you, Chan," Edgar replied. "You're not old enough to have faced some real challengers, so, like any undefeated fighter, you're very overconfident. Don't get me wrong, Chan, I'm much better than you, but there was this one time - you remember, Kikoken?"   
  
Kikoken grimaced. "I don't think I'll ever forget. It was a year ago - Edgar and Mason Storm and I ran straight into Dadallent."   
  
"Oh no!" Chan gasped.   
  
"Exactly. The three of us barely got away - Edgar and Mason both ended up in the hospital for a month. Me, I can heal instantly, but I'd lost a lot of vitality in that attack, too. Edgar used up half a deck and still we were all thrashed." Kikoken grimaced again. Being able to summon a Blue-Eyes in the middle of a fight was incredible enough, except that Dadallent had taken it apart and the backlash of Edgar's ill-advised attack had knocked him out. "Edgar, why didn't you just use one of those God cards?"   
  
"I didn't think he was _that_ strong, but he was - stronger, perhaps, than even Obelisk the warrior - and besides, I can't use my power the way you two use yours. I have to obey the rules of the game. Otherwise, my deck loses its power. That's why I never rely too heavily on it, and instead use my hand combat skills when I can. Chan, however, has always refused to learn some basic self-defense that might serve her well. Instead, she fights cheap and dirty with the wind."   
  
"I do not!"   
  
"Of course you do. Just like Goenitz - cut your opponent apart without ever touching him." A small smile hovered around Edgar's mouth. "Cyclone wall, cyclone wall, cyclone wall - _finally_ get close - and your efforts are rewarded by a Hurricane Chan right in the face. Chan, you fight so cheap that even Wal-Mart couldn't make a profit from selling you."   
  
"Why you -!" Then Chan realized that Edgar was simply teasing her as he exploded in laughter. "Edgar! That isn't funny!" She tried to slap him and he gamely dodged it.   
  
"I cannot believe that I'm seeing this," Kikoken declared. "Edgar, you're almost twice her age! Quit flirting around."   
  
"Edgar hits on me all the time," Chan noted. "If he'd be more subtle, he might actually get somewhere."   
  
Edgar grinned evilly. "You said you needed a dance partner -"   
  
"Yeah, but not you. The school that I'm attending has a ball coming up in five days. It's just that none of the guys there wants to go out with the too-tall American foreigner. I'm not going to name names, since I don't want to embarrass Mitsukake!" Seriously, just what did he see in that Sakura girl? "Sometimes I really wonder why I chose to study abroad." Chan sighed. "Well, I should be leaving. The family hosting me is going to wonder if I don't return soon."   
  
"Wait!" Kikoken called. "You mean that -"   
  
"Yeah, Kikoken, I can cross the globe in a mere minute or two." A wind came out of nowhere and blew on all three of them; Chan tilted her head back and enjoyed the sensation of the wind on her face. Always the wind had been her faithful servant - quiet and calm as it suited her, or violent and merciless, again dependent on her mood. Now she called it again. "Arigato, Edgar, Kikoken, it was a pleasure meeting you both. Ja ne."   
  
"Ja ne is _my_ line, Chan," Edgar said, "you can't have it."   
  
"Ri-ight. Well, ja ne!" With that, Chan vanished into thin air and the wind subsided.   
  
"So, Edgar -"   
  
Edgar chuckled. "You gave your word. I wouldn't worry. Chan might appear irresponsible or power-drunk at times, but she's quite mature and will easily understand once she enters the tournament. I look forward to seeing both of you there. C'mon, let's go back to the gym. We have to do this whole scene again."   
  


* * *

_ Los Angeles, USA   
Two days have passed _   
  
_Riiiiiiiiing._   
  
"Hello, Edwards Air Force base, how can I help you?"   
  
"I'd like to speak with First Lieutenant Charlie, if possible. Tell him that Mason Storm called."   
  
"Oh hey, Storm, this is Scott Wagner."   
  
"Scott, you rogue, why didn't you say so sooner?" On his side of the phone, Mason Storm smiled wryly. He was a tall man at six-two, strongly built, and about thirty years old. His hair was black with white strands scattered about it, his eyes deep brown. Mason leaned into his chair; he was currently working a desk job with the Los Angeles Police Department and held the rank of Major. "Things hectic on your side, Scott? The police department here has been running its legs into the ground."   
  
"I'm not surprised," the younger man replied. Scott Kurt Wagner, at nineteen years of age, was an Air Force recruit and unofficially a member of the American Vigilantes. He had sandy hair, ice-blue eyes, and enjoyed immense popularity amongst the young ladies of the armed forces. Like all the vigilantes, he wore a pair of glasses despite his perfect vision. It was their trademark, really. "Did you get in touch with Delta Red yet, Mason? Cammy White swears that this 'M' fellow we've been hearing so much about is M. Bison. Charlie and Guile don't think so, considering that Bison is - well, supposed to be dead, though he isn't - but we've no better lead. Some of the Shadowlaw bases are bustling with activity. What do you think? ... Hello? Mason, you still there?"   
  
"Yeah, but hold up a moment, Scott. Something just occurred to me. Bison's dead - Guile took him down in the second World Warrior tournament. We know that for certain."   
  
"Uh-huh."   
  
"But Charlie killed himself taking Bison down a few years before that. You were too young to remember, but I know. So ... how come Charlie's alive now?"   
  
Scott, on his end of the line, simply laughed. "I take it you haven't gotten the news, Mason. The World Collision tournament is a dream match. Don't ask me how, but a lot of dead folk have been resurrecting and coming back - I think they're all participating in the match. You can imagine how surprised Guile was when Lieutenant Charlie sauntered into the room. But, if anyone asks, I didn't tell you this. It's not supposed to be public information yet. I got the tidbit from a source who wants to remain anonymous." Scott frowned. "That's the good news. The bad news is that the bad guys have also revived. Bison's back and badder than ever. Interpol got a tip just a few hours ago - they think that Shadowlaw is reconstructing the Psycho Drive. Where, we don't know ... Mason, are you okay?"   
  
Mason suppressed a scream of fury. _Bison - the man who murdered my family in front of my eyes. Still not dead?!_ "Y - yeah, I'm okay, Scott. Or at least, I will be once I pound Bison into the dirt. LAPD has no leads on who 'M' might be, but now that I have your news, I'll certainly keep it in mind. Anyway, the boss wanted me to ask Charlie about the World Collision tournament, but you seem to be in the know. What do the American Vigilantes know about it?"   
  
Scott frowned. "That's the problem. Despite all the commercials on TV and the radio, we still don't know much. Everyone knows _about_ the World Collision tournament, even those isolated Tibetian monks. What we know for certain is that the tournament is being hosted by 'M' and that whoever this 'M' is has promised that the tournament will hold quite a number of surprises. It's supposed to be a global event, fights held in various places around the world. Charlie, Guile, and I are all participating and I heard that you'd be there, too. Find some friends yet?"   
  
"No, but I'm sure that I can round up a couple. Considering what we're up against, we'll need all the help we can get. I heard that the tournament's really well-advertised. Oh, yeah, Scott, before I forget - two nights ago, Edgar, Kikoken, and a friend of theirs were attacked by Shadowlaw commandos. Drove 'em off, though, and I heard that porcelain face took quite a few scars from that fight."   
  
A string of creative syllables emerged from Wagner's side of the phone. "Pardon my French, Mason. Shadowlaw agents, huh? Still, it's good to hear that Vega got the rough end of the pineapple. Mason, I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you. I have heard that both Demitri Maximoff and Donovan Baine intend to participate in the tournament, however - at least, that's what Interpol heard, and Chun-Li passed the tip along. I don't know just how well this tournament's been advertised, but I'd say pretty darn well considering that Darkstalkers from Makai are participating. You may want to call the IDC next. Their intelligence network is second to none and they'll probably know more."   
  
"I'll try. Thanks for the information, Scott." Which, Mason reflected as he hung up, was actually a lot more than he'd been expecting. He dialed another number; after two short rings, someone picked up and greeted him. "Hi, Samantha, this is Mason Storm."   
  
"Hello, Mason. I was hoping that you'd call. Can I help you?" Cell-phone in hand, Samantha McGrath tossed her blonde hair behind her back. She was the leader of the IDC's ultra-elite _Phantom_ strike force. At thirty-two years of age, she still had a supermodel's stunning good looks as well as the Olympic-class fitness brought on by years of the IDC's training. Her face was small and delicate, with well-defined features, full lips, and sparkling green eyes. She laid her rifle to one side and concentrated on the conversation.   
  
"Yeah, I was hoping you'd know more than I do about the World Collision tournament. Any new leads on who 'M' might be?"   
  
"Well, no. You know that Ernest has been going around the world tracking down various leads, but so far he hasn't found anything. Mason, we're about out of clues. Nobody seems to know - not Akuma, not Demitri, not even Gill. I'm sorry but I can't help you. I suppose we'll find out at the tournament, no?"   
  
"That's what I'm afraid of," Mason replied. "Remember the second World Warrior tournament? That was Bison's doing, gathering all his enemies into one place where he intended to finish them off. And nobody knew that it was Bison, of all people, who was hosting the tournament. I'll tell you, it gave _me_ quite a shock when I found out. I think we're seeing this sort of thing happen again. Delta Red believes that Bison's behind this tournament and we have no better ideas."   
  
"Well, our communications intercepts seem to indicate the exact opposite, Mason," Samantha informed him. "We still have some of Shadowlaw's equipment bugged. It seems that even the high lords of Shadowlaw have no idea who's behind the tournament. The funny thing is, no one knows. You'd think that with a tournament of this size, the logistics would point back to someone, but nope. I'm sorry, but we have no clue. Don't hang up yet, though. I heard about your friend Kikoken two days ago. We intercepted something yesterday that I'm sure she'll be most interested in."   
  
"Okay, let's hear it."   
  
"Alright, I'll play it now and e-mail you a transcript, and you can pass it along to her." Samantha hooked her cell-phone into a memory card and let the conversation play out. Basically, it was a dialogue between Vega and Bison. "But, Mason - technically, you're not supposed to hear this, okay? I'm breaking a few rules here. According to the script, we're supposed to talk more about the World Collision tournament. I just thought that this was more interesting. If the author finds out, he'll delete me for sure. So don't say anything."   
  
"Not a word," Mason promised, and the recording began to play.   
  
_"Vega, your pride seems ... bruised." A hint of malicious amusement in Bison's voice.   
  
"My lord, we were ambushed." A light Spanish accent, Vega pleading his innocence.   
  
"I do not tolerate failure." Bison's voice sounded more ominous this time. Then a sigh. "Very well, Vega, you are forgiven. Do get up, groveling does not suit you. And cheer up, those bruises won't be permanent. In fact, I think they suit your girly face quite well." A deep chuckle. After a long silence, Bison continued. "The Lian - humans who can control the elements - who would have thought that they actually existed? And two of them in the same place, no less. Vega, next time, I expect your task to be carried out swiftly and efficiently."   
  
"My lord ... I am not a kidnapper." Just a hint of indignation.   
  
"I don't recall asking for your opinion, Vega." A small pause, and then Bison's inflection changed slightly, indicating that he was thinking. "I want both of the Lian, Kikoken and this Chan girl. As for Kikoken, once I've drained her of her power, you may have her - if you wish, a bit of Psycho power will make her your mind slave. Chan, though, is mine. I have better uses for her than to make her your plaything. I think that both of them would make excellent batteries for the Psycho Drive - don't you agree?"   
  
"My lord, doing this could kill both of them."   
  
"So what?" Bison asked, amused and sneering at the Spaniard. "Since when did you start caring, Vega? All you want is to be surrounded by beauty - that Kikoken girl should satisfy you quite well, then. I'm certain that you won't complain. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more urgent matters to supervise than looking at your ugly face." There was the sound of a door opening and shutting.   
  
A moment later, Vega hurled something against the wall and it hit with a metallic clang. "Ugly face," he fumed, "Bison, you're just ... just ... jealous! ... is all!" A string of Spanish curses followed, then Vega shouted a war cry and made some swipes at the air. "First you try to kidnap Ryu, then you betray Cammy, and now you want to ruin the lives of more innocents!" he grounded out through clenched teeth. "As if the Dolls hadn't been enough! How many more lives must you destroy before you realize what you are!" A sigh, and then in a calmer voice, Vega reasoned with himself. "I should assassinate him tonight - but, if I fail, my life is forfeit. All I can do is try to protect the girls if they are kidnapped. Bison will make his move before the tournament, no doubt of that. He isn't man enough to fight by his own strength and has to rely on the Psycho Drive instead." Vega's voice dripped with contempt. "But Bison is becoming suspicious - if I try to sabotage the Psycho Drive again, he'll catch me for certain. Ah, Vega, you coward ... too afraid to risk your own neck for what you know is right." He paused and sniffled. "I ... I'm ... I'm so ashamed of myself!" And with that, he wept openly._   
  
"So, what do you think?" Samantha asked.   
  
Mason whistled. "I don't know how your operatives managed to get hold of this one, but I'll contact Edgar and Kikoken immediately. Edgar can probably get in touch with Chan. Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Samantha; I owe you one. Is there anything else I can do for you, anything at all?"   
  
"Think nothing of it. Yesterday we already assigned two BEAT teams, one to watch over Edgar and Kikoken, the other to shadow Chan. But don't tell them what we did. The BEATs have orders to engage any Shadowlaw special forces that try to make a move. Edgar and his friends will be safe, at least for now. What I'm more worried about is the tournament. Anything could happen; Interpol feels the same way. The fact is, we know too little and we're up against too many enemies, we can't keep track of all of them at the same time. I just wish that the author would tell us who 'M' is." 


	3. Let there be Fight Part I

**Let There be Fight!**   
  


* * *

**Author's Notes:** Sheesh, people, quit pressuring me. Do you guys want a good story that takes forever to perfect or a bad, rushed, tale? ... Anyway, here's the next chapter, designed to keep the fanboys/girls satisfied for a little while. Hmph, I suppose it was a mistake to reveal that haggling gets results. Oh, yeah, and the tournament begins this chapter. It makes more sense not to keep dragging it out forever.   
  
**Chan Yoruyamatiha:** I apologize for any misunderstandings we may have had. I respect you and your opinions very much and I understand if something I said may have exceeded the boundaries of courtesy. Well, you wanted it and here it is: the next chapter. But any more nitpicking about your appearance and I'll introduce Evil Chan, who _is_ more powerful than you, who _does_ fight better, and who _will_ hunt you down! ... Oh, dang it, please, not the soft, tearing eyes ... BTW, next chapter will reveal your boyfriend.   
  
**DeNice:** The script ... well, I decided to ditch it because the humor seems too forced. Sorry that this fic took so long (but hey, it would've taken even longer if you hadn't haggled). Not that I'm suggesting anything ... well, maybe I am, who knows?   
  
**Kikoken:** What's this about me being a pain in the - never mind, I know that I'm a pretty demanding critic. And yes, you can kick plenty of ahem, but a fight against Bison is a no-contest in his favor. About Mark of the Millennium, I apologize since I didn't have the time to do a full review. Get AIM, blast it!   
  
**Noctorro:** Wait no longer! Here it is, the next chapter, where ... nothing happens, really. Well, actually a lot happens, but all of these chapters are designed to keep the reader guessing. Thanks for being patient with me!   
  


* * *

_ ???   
One month has passed _   
  
"Welcome, Regina. There was something about which you wished to speak with me?"   
  
"Yes, dear sister. About the upcoming events in the mortal world - why are you involving yourself?"   
  
"I should not need to tell you, Regina. You understand my heart."   
  
"I feared as much, dear sister. Please - reconsider your decision. What you are doing ... is not right."   
  
"You have a rather strange sense of right and wrong. What I believe may not be accepted, yet it is certainly not wrong. Regina, are you well? Have the thoughts of the mortal world also disturbed your mind - as they have done to Gill?"   
  
"I am well, but I would ask you to reconsider. We should not meddle in the affairs of mortals. Dear sister, you need not remind me of your troubles. And yet ... I cannot help but wonder - is what we do the only way?"   
  
"Why should you so suddenly question yourself, dear Regina?"   
  
"Perhaps I _have_ lived in the mortal world too long. Yet, the mortals have a saying - 'That which is accepted is not always right.' I find them surprisingly wise at times, dear sister. Perhaps we should truly leave them to their own affairs and intervene no longer."   
  
"Alas, you are following in the footsteps of Gill and Urien. They deceive themselves, believing that mortals can live in a perfect world by their own effort."   
  
"And yet - who would _not_ wish that it were so?"   
  
"I understand. It is a noble enough goal, for which much striving is worth. Yet the utmost caution is necessary in this affair. Regina, you have a kind heart, but I fear that it may prove your downfall. Ever since mother's death, we have been the sole ties left to each other. Dear Regina, would you so callously throw it away? You ask me to reconsider, but I would ask the same of you."   
  
"I see - I apologize, dear sister, but my beliefs have been shaken."   
  
"Why do you doubt me, Regina? Am I not your older sister?"   
  
"True, yet only by a few thousand years. I can no longer simply accept everything at face value. For the longest time I have believed as you believe, but - perhaps, it is time I discovered for myself, what _I_ believe. I trust that you will understand, dear sister."   
  
"Departing so soon? ... Very well. I wish you only the best, Regina."   
  
"Farewell, dear sister."   
  


* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Two months have passed _   
  
Glancing around nervously, the man tried to hold still as a number of technicians finished wiring his suit with miniature microphones. A makeup artist added a touch of blush to his face. Someone threw the man's white scarf around his neck, fastened it securely, and patted his whitewashed armored suit. Another man adjusted the headband around his forehead. The man sweated as each technician bustled around him. He'd faced mad dictators and deadly assassins before, but this was too much! Silently he vowed that, if he survived this insane agreement of his, he'd - he'd - he couldn't think of anything appropriate. Someone locked his bootstraps into place. In a word, it was Jin Saotome.   
  
Jin fidgeted, asked a question, and was surprised to hear his voice reverberate out the microphones. "Turn it down, will you? I can barely hear myself think - dear me, does my voice really sound like that?!" He glanced at the clock. "Three minutes until showtime. Okay, Jin, just relax ... will you hurry up?" When several more people converged on him, Jin exploded. _"Just let me go or I'll have Blodia punch you out!"_   
  
To his immense satisfaction, the technicians scurried away. "Osaka Dome's jam-packed," someone reported from the back. "All the bleachers are full, and they're even plenty of people standing in the aisles. Well, it's nearly eight o'clock. Showtime, people! You're up, Jin! Remember, just stay cool and go with the flow! You'll do great!"   
  
"Yeah, sure, thanks," Jin muttered. At least he wouldn't be alone. Taking a deep breath, Jin Saotome strode out into the open of Osaka Dome. It was a dark and surprisingly cold night; to his dismay, Jin saw that the bleachers were indeed filled almost to overflowing. For this special occasion, the roof of the dome had been removed, allowing moonlight and floodlights to pour in. Jin strode to the center of the arena, where a raised platform had been erected. A number of loudspeakers had been arranged on each side of the platform. There was a holographic projector, too, a new-fangled piece of technology that displayed a giant image directly above Jin and somehow let everyone see the exact same scene. Jin's head was already hurting.   
  
_Okay, just go with the flow - do your stuff, Jin._ Adjusting the microphone one last time, Jin took a deep breath. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the World Collision tournament! For the duration of the tournament, I, Jin Saotome, will be your special announcer and battle commentator." He was semi-gratified to see that the crowd had quieted considerably. He was _not_ pleased to see that a number of brilliant lights had centered on him. "Since the contestants themselves will not be appearing for another half hour, we'll take the time to fill you in on the tournament!   
  
"As you all know, the World Collision tournament is possibly the greatest ever held. Certainly it is the most widely watched sporting event in several years - second only to the Olympics, and above the World Cup. At this moment, more than a third of the world's population is eagerly following this event right at home from the television." Glancing up, Jin saw his own giant holoprojected image following every movement of his. He turned around to look at another section of the stadium. "And yet, despite the media blitz, I know that many questions are still on your lips. Who is the 'M.' mentioned everywhere? Ladies and gentlemen, may I direct your attention to my colleague Kyosuke Kagami!" Jin motioned and a moment later the big holographic image refocused, showing an interior shot. "Kyosuke, would you please fill us in?"   
  
Standing inside the stadium, dressed in a tuxedo, glasses perched on his nose, Kyosuke Kagami looked every inch the sharp news reporter. "Thank you, Jin! As a matter of fact, I'm standing here with one of the most highly anticipated fighters in this tournament." The camera panned over as Kyosuke turned around and asked the question. "Ryu, thank you for joining us this evening. Perhaps the biggest question surrounding this tournament has been the identity of M. Speculation has it that M. is none other than the infamous Shadowlaw dictator, M. Bison, somehow alive despite the World Warrior tournament eight years ago."   
  
Ryu, dressed in his simple wandering warrior outfit, leaned his head to one side. "Actually, I was talking with Bison just a few minutes ago. He says that he doesn't have a clue - and neither do I. In fact, it seems that nobody has any hint as to who M. might be."   
  
"Is it possible that M. will reveal himself halfway through the tournament?"   
  
"That's certainly possible, yes, so I wouldn't discount it. But, I think it's more likely that M. will remain a mystery identity all the way to the end. The tournament is organized so that the finalist faces M. - until then, I believe that we'll keep guessing."   
  
"Thanks for the information, Ryu. Now, since you know many of the -"   
  
At that moment, Kyosuke was cut off by a sharp cry of "Ryu!" from behind. The camera panned over, revealing Chun-Li, Sakura, Chan, and a number of other women clustered in the cramped hall. "Oh, Ryu! Over here! C'mon!" As they raced down the corridor towards the legendary warrior, a suddenly nervous Ryu glanced at the student turned reporter. "Excuse me, Kyosuke, but it looks like a lot of women are eager to claim me. So, if I may, um -"   
  
"Certainly." And with that, Ryu disappeared in a blur of white, followed by a horde of screaming women. Kyosuke, watching the crowd chase after Ryu, merely shrugged. "Well, so much for that. Jin, back to you."   
  
"Alright, Kyosuke. There you have it, ladies and gentlemen - we aren't hiding anything from you." Jin consulted his watch. "Well, the countdown keeps going. It's time to reveal another surprise, one that's been carefully kept secret for some time. Are you ready, ladies and gentlemen? Good! World Collision is actually a team-based tournament! Teams of three members each will be competing in a battle royale, with only the strongest making it out alive. A team tournament has never in the history of the Street Fighter world been conducted before! Obviously this team format will require new strategies, new rules, and we'll be sure to see new fighters enter the ring. Let's head over to get the opinion of an experienced fighter." Satisfied to see that the crowd was fairly buzzing with the news, Jin turned and nodded towards the bleachers. "Miss Rose, what can we expect from this tournament?"   
  
Sitting in the bleachers, dressed in a flamboyant pink suit and yellow scarf, Rose waved at the cameras. "Well, Jin, I'm certain that this news will come as a great surprise to the vast majority of viewers. Since each team is made of three team members, teamwork will definitely be the single greatest factor in deciding which team does best. Without going into the rules, let's just say that the rules definitely favor warriors who work together. However, this tournament is also seeing a number of single entries - extraordinary warriors who have decided that they can take on entire teams by themselves. To say the least, the tournament will definitely be a new experience for many."   
  
"Rose, would you please explain the rules of the tournament to our viewers?"   
  
"Very well." Rose sat up straighter and looked into the camera. "Although battles are between teams rather than individuals, only one team member will directly fight the other. Each round is a single battle without a time limit; the battle ends only when all the fighters from one team have been knocked out. However, actually killing a member of the opposing team is strictly forbidden and will immediately disqualify the team in question."   
  
"What about the actual mechanics of the battle?"   
  
"I'm getting there, young Jin. Youngsters these days are so impatient - why, in my day, children -"   
  
"Yes, I get the point, Miss Rose. Now tell us about the way battles are arranged before I have Blodia shoot you full of holes. We only have a few minutes left before the main event."   
  
"Right. Anyway, each team has a leader; before the actual battle, each team selects a tactical captain who starts off the fight. Team members may freely switch out any time that they wish to do so. The next team member is the captain's striker assist and may jump into the battle at any time to execute a special attack, then leave. If striker assists from both teams are on the battlefield, then auxiliary strikers may also join in; otherwise, however, they can be called in only to perform team attacks."   
  
"Team attacks? Please clarify for our audience, Rose."   
  
"With the advent of super attacks following the first World Warrior tournament, rules governing these have also been built into this competition. Any team member can call out his partners for a delayed super chain, where team members execute their attacks one after another instead of all at once; however, only the tactical captain can initiate a team super attack, where all team members attack at once. This, of course, makes the tactical captain a very important part of the team's strategy. Now, as for the actual mechanics of the fight, once a team member has been knocked out for more than three seconds, a partner must immediately enter the battlefield and continue fighting for the team. A knocked out team member is removed from the round and can no longer participate even if he or she later regains consciousness. So, there's certainly an interest in switching out team members to let injured members recover. Only the active fighter can be targeted for attacks unless if the other team members are on the battlefield executing striker assists."   
  
"Most interesting, Miss Rose. Thank you for your time. So that's the team battle format, ladies and gentlemen - our single entries are definitely going to have a hard time of it, but they aren't ordinary fighters, either." Jin checked his watch. "Ladies and gentlemen, with just a few seconds left on the clock, I'll reiterate the fact that the final team to finish the tournament faces off against M. We certainly expect M. to be a very formidable challenger, although again nobody knows for certain. Well, it's time! And here they come - let's give a big hand to all the fighters participating in this tournament!"   
  
This time, the holoprojected image came off Jin entirely, as did most of the lights. They refocused on the big stage entrance where mist was already billowing. Then, as an upbeat musical score began to play in the background, Jin called out each selection. "First up, let's introduce the referees who will be enforcing the rules of the tournament! Representing the world of Makai, our first referee has lived for hundreds of years. Until recently he was recovering from the aftereffects of a treacherous coup. But now he's back and still bent on saving the dark world. Ladies and gentlemen, I present the distressed prince ... Jedah Dohma!" The lights flared up as Jedah, dressed in an elegant gray suit, his bladed wings glinting in the white light, appeared in the entrance to the arena. Jedah made an elegant leg, including the whole arena in one long bow.   
  
As he strode off to his place in front of Jin's podium, the mech pilot was already busy with his next entry. "Our second referee prefers to call himself the savior of _this_ world. He is the head of a secret order known as the Illuminati as well as the host of the third World Warrior tournament. A worthy fighter in his own right, he's here tonight by special invitation as a referee. Ladies and gentlemen, here's the elemental emperor ... Gill!" Once again the lights flared, going from Jedah to the new entry. Gill appeared in the doorway looking like a Greek god, his magnificent muscles glinting in the light. One side of his body shone red, the other blue; Gill raised his hands in a gesture of blessing before making the same walk towards the platform.   
  
Jin smiled wryly as the crowd cheered. "And now, let's head to the actual teams! Representing the United States Air Force is a veteran Harrier pilot who's faithfully served his country for many years. This man invented the infamous Sonic Boom and Flash Kick techniques that have often been copied but rarely equaled. Thought to have died taking down Shadowlaw, he has staged a return especially for this tournament! Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the hypersonic hurricane ... First Lieutenant Charlie!" Dressed in military fatigues and a gold-colored vest, hair slicked down his face, Charlie appeared in the entrance, all smiles. Waving all around at the bleachers, Charlie half-skipped towards the platform, taking his proper position.   
  
"Did you bring him back, Gill?" Jedah whispered.   
  
Gill shook his head. "Nay - I can but resurrect myself, Jedah. Some other power is at work."   
  
"Our next contestant is also a member of the United States Air Force. He is the winner of the second World Warrior tournament and also a devoted family man. Everybody, please welcome the fist of vengeance ... Colonel Guile!" Guile appeared exactly as Charlie had, striding from the doorway in a tank top and camoulflage pants, boots tightly laced. His golden hair, carefully arranged in a flaring pattern, glinted in the light. No smiles or waves from him; Guile simply half-stalked to his position, ignoring the crowd. The cheers were noticeably less audible than they had been for Charlie.   
  
"Our next contestant is, coincidentally, also a member of the United States Air Force! His life story is one of overcoming extraordinary odds - when he was young, Shadowlaw soldiers raided his home and killed off his whole family. But not only did he survive, he joined the Air Force, is in custody of Guile, and helped take down Shadowlaw after the second World Warrior tournament. Please welcome the magnetic marvel ... Senior Airman Scott K. Wagner!" The lights once more intensified upon the stage entrance; Wagner appeared, blue eyes shining. He was a fresh-faced youth, yet bore a look of experience which could easily surpass that of people twice his age. Wagner waved at the crowd, then took his proper place near the platform. "Everybody, please welcome the American Vigilantes! And here's your useless team trivia - each member of this team actually has perfect vision! Otherwise, they wouldn't be in the air force ..."   
  
Guile glared at Charlie. "American Vigilantes! We're supposed to be the USAF team!"   
  
"Er ... last minute changes," Charlie mumbled.   
  
He was spared the embarrassment of providing a full explanation when Jin began his spiel again. "Our next contestant is actually a self-taught fighter - or at least, he was, before tracking down the man who inspired him. This contestant was a recent strong showing in the U.S. Martial Arts Open and also a promising basketball player. Plus, with his experience in the third World Warrior tournament, this competitor is certain to show a strong standing in this competition. Everybody, let's give a hand for the raging cyclone ... Sean Matsuda!" Sean practically bounced into the arena, waving and grinning for all he was worth. Whistles and applause greeted his entrance. The Brazilian boy twirled a basketball before tossing it off to the crowd, then skipped to a spot beside Scott Wagner, stopping only to exchange a high-five with the airman.   
  
"Sean's teammate and our next contestant actually began as an orphan on the streets of Japan. Rumor has it that he was actually used as a human experiment by the despicable Shadowlaw organization. At any rate, he ended up in America and is currently working his way through college, courtesy of a friend of his. His best friend Cranky is here with us tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the banisher of light ... Kenneth Feng!" Nearly blinded by the bright floodlights, Kenneth still remembered to wave at the crowd as he set off for his walk to the platform. He was Chinese by descent, his short black hair smoothly slicked back, a lean and wiry kid with an incessant smirk. He fell into place beside Sean and the two of them exchanged good-natured punches.   
  
"And the captain of the team, three-time winner of the U.S. Martial Arts Open as well as a steady participant in various World Warrior tournaments. He's also a famous movie star with a mansion in Beverly Hills. With multiple connections to fighters all around the world, he himself is one of the best that there is. Girls out there, sorry, but his wife Eliza and his son Mel are with us tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, say hi to the flaming dragon ... Ken Masters!" Dressed in his traditional red uniform, hair fluttering in the wind, Ken cartwheeled into the arena and winked at the audience, throwing a V-sign with his hands. The holoprojector caught every last detail - and the crowd went wild, cheering crazily. A girl from the bleachers called out "I love you, Ken!" - fortunately, she did so in Japanese, thus escaping the wrath of Eliza.   
  
"Everybody, give a hand for the Masters Team!" Still grinning, Ken took his sweet time walking towards the platform. He shook hands vigorously with Charlie and tousled Wagner's hair, but Guile refused to make eye contact with him. "As for the useless team trivia - originally, Ken didn't have a last name at all! But when the Street Fighter action figures began to sell on the market, Mattel sued Capcom on the basis that Ken's too closely resembled Barbie's boyfriend Ken. And that, ladies and gentleman, is how Ken became Ken Masters ... strange, isn't it? Ah, well, I suppose it's better than being stuck in last name-less hell the way Ryu, Chun-Li, Guile, and just about everybody else is." Jin chuckled to himself as a suddenly enraged American Vigilante team had to be restrained by the referees.   
  
"Well, look what we have ourselves here," Jin continued. "Our next contestant is none other than the daughter of Ryu. She was raised by her mother, a former Shadowlaw assassin, and practices a blend of various martial arts. She currently trains under Ryu, but don't tell Sakura! Ladies and gentlemen, I present the superior tiger ... Kirina Houshi! Ryu doesn't have a last name, but Kirina does!" Kirina appeared in the doorway to the arena, dressed smartly in denim jeans and a light red sweater. Dazzled by the size of the crowd, she waved hesitantly and quickly ran to her position, stopping only to greet "Uncle Ken."   
  
"Don't go away yet, people - our next contestant is none other than the host of the original World Warrior Tournament. Much of the facts around him are surrounded in mystery, but we _do_ know that he is currently one of the best fighters around. He is said to be able to hold his breath underwater for over twenty minutes! Temporarily a member of Shadowlaw, he is now simply waiting for a chance to have the rematch to end all rematches. Ladies and gentlemen, the Emperor of Muay Thai ... Sagat!" Sagat appeared in the big doorway and formally bowed to the audience. Besides his normal short trunks, he was also wearing a big overcoat that concealed the scar across his chest. His one good eye took in the crowd; quickly and efficiently he took his place beside Kirina.   
  
"And now the captain of the team, the original champion of the World Warrior tournament, and possibly one of the greatest fighters in this or any age. Over the years, his legend has only grown along with his impressive list of victories. Never one to settle in any place for a long time, he is often seen in various parts of the world, but if you're looking for a good fight, then he's the man to seek. Ladies and gentlemen, the eternal challenger ... Ryu!" Headband fluttering in the breeze, Ryu walked out into the arena with one clenched fist held high. The crowd erupted in wild applause; Ryu trotted to the platform, stopping to greet Ken and hug Kirina. "Quick trivia for you - Ryu's belt has the words 'Fu Rin Ka Zan' written on it, meaning 'Be swift like the wind, be subtle like the forest, be aggressive like the flame, be strong like the mountain.' Trivia aside, I present to you the World Warrior team!"   
  
"Ironic, isn't it?" Ryu whispered. "The two of us fighting on the same side after all these years."   
  
"And I never thought I'd see myself fighting alongside you," Sagat commented. "It's an honor, Ryu."   
  
"That makes two of us," Ryu replied. "Glad to have you, Sagat."   
  
Jin dropped his voice. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, our next contestant is a former champion of the boxing ring, expelled after nearly killing an opponent during a match. He was the head of Shadowlaw for some time after the second World Warrior tournament. Rumor has it that he even killed an elephant with a single blow! Armed with the world's strongest punches, please welcome the untamed fist ... Balrog!" Balrog appeared at the entrance, all grins and affability. The crowd cheered as Balrog made his way to his proper position, pausing only to leer at Kirina.   
  
"Our next contestant hails from Spain. He is a renowned matador there and also practices the art of Ninjutsu. Less known is the fact that he, too, was a high-ranking member of Shadowlaw and its top assassin. He also wears a mask to protect his visage from battle damage. He comes from a wealthy family of noblemen, but when his father murdered his mother, he snapped and went wild. Ladies and gentlemen, give a big round of applause for the Spanish silhouette ... Vega!" Applause and whistles rent the air when Vega stepped out of the doorway, bowing elegantly to the assembled throng. The mist lid his lower body and his mask was off. A woman in the crowd shouted out a marriage proposal; Vega blithely ignored her as he skimmed to his proper position.   
  
"And finally the leader of the team, the host of the second World Warrior tournament! He began his career a long time ago when he murdered his master and went on a rampage. More than thirty-five years ago he formed the world criminal organization of Shadowlaw. A master of Psycho Power, this contestant is one of the strongest ranked in this tournament! Parents, keep your children close at hand, because here comes the dread master of Shadowlaw ... M. Bison!" Instead of striding out of the mist like everyone else, Bison floated, wrapped in his great cape and expressionless as a stone. He paused for a moment, then regally threw the cape behind his back and stalked towards his proper position. The crowd booed loudly and somebody yelled "Kill him, Ryu!" Bison halted at his proper spot and folded his arms, impassive. "Ladies and gentlemen," Jin finished, "here are the Lords of Shadowlaw! Quick trivia for you: more than fifty percent of the world's drug carteling is handled by Shadowlaw." More boos and hissing followed.   
  
"The next fighter is a single entry, but don't make the mistake of underestimating him. He is a member of the IDC and commonly considered the best soldier the IDC has ever seen. Among his many accomplishments were taking down the terrorist group United Front and fighting in the IDC's War of Ascendancy. He was the founder and former captain of the IDC's elite strike force _Phantom_. Perhaps the strongest fighter in this tournament, he also has excellent relationships with various warriors from around the world! Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the one-man legion ... Ernest McGrath!" Face shining, McGrath appeared in the doorway dressed in a simple shirt and slacks, a vest thrown over his torso. He was tall and tanned, brown hair very still but anticipation gleaming out of his brown eyes. Truth be told, he looked nothing like a fighter or even a military type. Waving and bowing to the crowd, McGrath walked to his proper position next to M. Bison.   
  
As they chatted quietly, Jin once more took up the microphone. "The next contestant hails from Hong Kong. He's a practitioner of Chinese Kempo, runs a family restaurant along with his brother, and is universally considered an up-and-coming fighter to watch in the future. Some people also consider him the most eligible bachelor of this tournament next to Vega - hey, he owns an entire village, for heaven's sake! And here he is, the captain of the team, the storming white dragon ... Yun Lee!" Baseball hat pulled down on his head, Yun rocketed into the arena on his beloved skateboard and pulled a fancy stop just short of running into Kirina. Fortunately, Ryu and Sagat simultaneously clamped their hands on Kirina's shoulders as a reminder not to go fireball-crazy at that point in time. Grinning like a cat who had just eaten a mouse, Yun took his place next to Ernest McGrath.   
  
"And wouldn't it be appropriate to go next to Yun's twin brother? This fighter, too, runs the family restaurant and serves as guardian of their village. Also with underworld connections, rumor has it that he has a history with the Illuminati. He's the more serious of the two brothers, a practitioner of Kempo, and a favorite of the ladies near his area. Ladies and gentlemen, three cheers for the flurry blue dragon ... Yang Lee!" Dressed in a red overshirt and black silk pants, Yang appeared in the doorway and waved to all present, then hop-skipped next to Yun. He paused only to stare at the legendary Ryu; his brother greeted him with a friendly high-five.   
  
"The final member of this team is the younger sister of Yun and Yang. Unlike the former two, however, she trained under that legendary assassin Gen - who, incidentally, is with us tonight in the bleachers. No underworld connections for her. She also helps in the family restaurant and is responsible for many of the, uh ... more creative ... dishes that have been appearing lately. Sorry, guys, but she isn't interested in a boyfriend at the moment. Everybody, here comes the wild red dragon ... Yin Lee!" Dressed in a formal Chinese outfit closely resembling Gen's with a scarlet sash around her waist, Yin strode out of the doorway and made a formal bow to the crowd. "And this is the much anticipated Triple Dragon team! Quick trivia for you: Yun and Yang aren't related to Gen but are nephews of Lee. Yin, however, is a granddaughter of Gen - despite the fact that she's Yun and Yang's younger sister. Heredity is a quirky subject, no?" Jin grinned mischievously as M. Bison roared with laughter at a chagrined Yun and Yang.   
  
"Our next contestant represents the Bushin school of ninjutsu. She used to run with a motorcycle gang back in her schooling days but has recently given up education to concentrate on training. She's also one of the fighters who took down the Mad Gear gang - permanently. Her father was a former grandmaster of the Bushin fighting arts and she herself is an accomplished warrior. And to all you boys in the crowd, her favorite food is tapioca. Here she is, the whispering wraith ... Maki!" Dressed in the standard red uniform of the Bushin ninjas, armed with a tonfa, Maki appeared in the doorway and curtseyed to the crowd. All attitude, she swaggered to her proper place in the line next to Yin and settled in with a tough and cynical look.   
  
"The leader of this team is another Bushin ninja and the current Bushin grandmaster. He helped take down Mad Gear once and also played a key role in defeating the Skull Cross gang. Thought to have gone missing right before the second World Warrior tournament, somehow he's still back in action and looking none the worse for his absence. He fights to protect nature and is opposed to evil, so his entry into the World Collision ought to make this tournament interesting. Ladies and gentlemen, the dancing shadow ... Guy!" An older guy with a trace of stubble on his chin appeared in the doorway, dressed in the standard Bushin uniform, wearing wristguards and stylish Nike sneakers. His face betrayed no emotion as he strode to his place by Maki.   
  
"And the final member of this team is yet another enemy of the Mad Gear. Commonly considered the hero of Metro City, he fought to rescue his ex-girlfriend Jessica - who's in the crowd tonight - from the clutches of the gang. He later was thrown into prison after getting into too many fights, though he did manage to escape during a jail riot. Now he's back as a respectable citizen of the fighting circuit, so will everyone please welcome the capricious thrill seeker ... Cody!" The blue-eyed, blond-haired man bounded out into the arena and drew oohs and aahs from the crowd by performing an instant magic trick before sidling next to Guy. "I present the Final Fighters! Your useless trivia for this team is ... well, they all were opposed to Mad Gear, but I'll let you in on their little secret. The _real_ enemies of Mad Gear are actually windows! Judging by Edi E. and Rolento, apparently in Metro City you can get away with anything so long as you aren't knocked out of a window. None of the members of Mad Gear have actually died unless ... well, unless they fell out of a window."   
  
"Hey, he gave away our little trick!" Cody exclaimed indignantly.   
  
Halfway across the world, Rolento and Sodom stared at each other, shocked by what they were hearing from the television set. "By the beard of Saint James ... I never thought of that," Rolento breathed. "Gado! Call up the men and smash every window in a ten-mile radius around the base. I want it accomplished in eight hours, and when you finish, deliver a full report to me!" Having given the orders, Rolento and Sodom resumed watching TV.   
  
"That about wraps it up for now," Jin announced. "We'll be taking a short commercial break, but we'll be back with more and better. This tournament's only begun and the action is bound to become wild. Same time, same place, we'll be introducing more teams. This is Jin Saotome from Osaka stadium, stay glued to your television screens, because tonight we'll see two worlds truly collide." 


	4. Let there be Fight Part II

**Let There be Fight, Part II**   
  


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**Author's Notes:** And here it is, the rest of the character roster introduced for the first time. Originally Colliding Worlds was supposed to feature thirty full teams and two single entries - that got cut due to the fact that I couldn't find enough characters to fill thirty teams. Also, Colliding Worlds takes place in the year 2000, so Chun-Li has already retired from Interpol and chances are very slim that Sakura would still be living with her parents ... sheesh, I didn't realize that for the longest time ...   
  
Also, at this time the character roster has been posted. Look in my author's profile to find the link. This page contains the vital statistics and movelists of all characters participating in the tournament, grouped by teams, and it is highly recommended that you at least take a glance through it and familiarize yourself with the moves. You may also start placing bets on who you think the winner(s) of the tourney will be.   
  
**Chan Yoruyamatiha:** I told you who your boyfriend is already. You can definitely figure it out after reading this chapter, can't you? ^_^ Now that you mention it, Bison probably needs a love interest, too. NOT Rose, you sickos ... hmm ... maybe this fic needs some yaoi? (No, I'm not being serious.) And lay off Makushita, will you, (s)he has a right to be heard.   
  
**Kikoken:** See my comments to Chan, minus the boyfriend part. Oh, don't worry, you'll have a love interest too, but I'd probably be stoned by the masses if I revealed who he is. I don't believe in removing reviews when other people have taken the time to submit them - though I do admit, it kinda makes it difficult to read the information for the reviews.   
  
**Blue-Eyes Knight:** They that ask shall not receive. But thanks for the review, I think I know where to take your character now ...   
  
**Makushita:** You owe me an explanation. At the very least, let me know why you didn't like the chapter, and how I can improve on it.   
  
**JTurner:** Hey thanks for reviewing! I have to admit, you're much better with updates than I am. Now I have to play some major catch-up. (grumbles as he starts on the next chapter)   
  
**DeNice:** Sorry for the inordinate wait, but I had to build the web pages before I would post this last update, and building those web pages took a lot longer than I expected. Enjoy!   
  
**Lyrix of Azn Ethix:** Thanks for the reviews, but please be more specific next time with criticisms. Ernest McGrath is one of my favorite characters designs (along with Samantha, Blake, and the Chaos Prince), but he's way too overpowered, to the point of it being ridiculous.   
  
**Noctorro:** I probably would've used Kyosuke as the primary announcer, but Jin has a more important role to play. Sorry about the Kenneth misunderstanding, I took a glance at your website after I posted that chapter. I'll see what I can do about it. You may also want to pull the information I gathered for your OC interview fic. Hmm, whom shall I submit ...?   
  
**The Headcrook:** Last but not least, thanks for reviewing! Kirina has a greater destiny ahead of her ...   
  


* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Three minutes have passed. _   
  
"Hello everybody! Welcome back to Osaka Stadium, I'm Jin Saotome and I am the special announcer for a very special occasion. For those of you who are just joining us, here's a quick recap." Jin paused and brushed back a stray lock of hair. "So far we've gone over a number of points. First, this tournament is actually a team-based competition and rules have been implemented for that effect. Next, we've introduced the teams that will be participating in no particular order. Now, as we complete the roster of - hey!" Jin yelled, observing the beginnings of a fight between various contestants, "cut that out or I'll beat you down with Blodia!"   
  
He coughed discreetly as each contestant very quickly quieted. "Erm, pardon me, ladies and gentlemen. Anyways, introducing our next fighter! This fighter was once a member of Raccoon City's elite S.T.A.R.S. force and is rumored to have trained alongside IDC soldiers. She later helped take down the Umbrella Corporation once and for all. A veritable walking arsenal, I present to you the one who returned alive from the nightmare ... Jill Valentine!" The last rays of the setting sun had nearly faded from the open air stadium, the floodlights throwing off a brilliant white light that perfectly illuminated Jill as she stepped into the arena. She was dressed in the S.T.A.R.S. military uniform, complete with light blue bodysuit, cap, epaulets, boots, and a host of dangerous looking weapons at her disposal. Tossing her long brown hair back, Jill gave a military salute and took her place next to Cody.   
  
"Our next contestant, also a member of this team, is an officer working with the Los Angeles Police Department. His family was killed when he was at a young age, and the perpetrator of this crime is none other than M. Bison. He's been a force behind the scenes during the whole Shadowlaw incidents. Ladies and gentlemen, three cheers for the raging whirlwind ... Mason Storm!" Mason stepped out of the mist, clad in the garb of a plainclothes agent - faded brown leather coat, mess of black hair with a broad white stripe in front, ice blue eyes coolly noting his surroundings. His fists clenched when he caught sight of Bison, but Mason restrained himself and walked at a deliberate pace towards his proper point in line.   
  
"And finally, the leader of this team! She was formerly a member of Interpol but later adopted several children and is now raising them. One of the most persistent Shadowlaw hunters, she played a major role in taking down the organization after the second World Warrior tournament. She even had to pretend to be Charlie's boyfriend in order to join the American Vigilantes. A practitioner of kung-fu, she studied under the tutelage of, among other masters, Gen - who is with us tonight and is watching from the bleachers. Everybody please give a hand to the kicking beauty ... Chun-Li!" Chun-Li strode out of the mist, dressed in her classic opera dancer's garb, wrists bound with her spiked bracelets, hair neatly tied into two buns. The cheers that greeted her arrival were universal. "Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the Police Investigators! Quick trivia: Chun-Li likes those bracelets of hers. A lot. In fact, she's never thrown any of them away, so those of you who bought some on EBay just got scammed." Groans rose from all directions in the audience.   
  
"Strange people ... anyway, where was I? Oh, yes, the next team! Our next contestant is a dhampvir - half human and half demon, but he hunts all dark creatures with burning passion. Once a monk in Tibet, he now wanders the world searching for creatures of the night to kill - or at least he did, before teaming up with two unlikely allies. He also protects a little girl named Anita - who is quite grown up now and is sitting in the bleachers next to Rose. Ladies and gentlemen, the one who seeks peace - Donovan Baine!" Instead of a person walking out of the doorway, an enormous metal coffin suddenly seemed to appear out of thin air and land right next to the other contestants with a loud thud, giving Chun-Li a terrible scare. This coffin opened, revealing Donovan in his tight Buddhist robes and rosary, hair braided back and an enormous sword floating alongside him. He pressed his palms together and bowed.   
  
"Our next contestant is the queen of one of Makai's oldest ruling houses. Her father was none other than the renowned Belial, a class S+ Darkstalker who killed nearly a hundred Makai nobles with but one swipe of his arm. She herself is a very dangerous warrior in ... many senses. Most recently she is gradually regaining parts of her soul and thus strengthening herself. Her 'sister' Lilith is with us tonight, watching from the bleachers. Well, here she is, the mistress of seduction ... Morrigan Aensland!" Morrigan, dressed in her royal outfit, appeared in the doorway and happily skipped to her place alongside Donovan. The men cheered wildly as the women maintained a stony silence or alternatively glared at the men.   
  
"And finally the captain of the team, elegant, powerful, and a very dangerous opponent when underestimated. He was once banished to the human world for opposing the king of Makai and spent nearly a century recuperating somewhere in Transylvania. In the past he defeated Pyron and consumed him, making himself stronger. He still has plans to rule Makai and to begin with has cemented his alliance by marrying Morrigan. Ladies and gentlemen, the lord of the night ... Demitri Maximoff!" At that last announcement, a number of bats converged next to Morrigan and merged to form Demitri. Tall, saturnine, with an impressive physique and an elegant demeanor, Demitri appeared dressed in a fluttering cape and a tight suit, complete with leather boots. He bowed to the crowd and then leaned in to exchange a quick kiss with Morrigan. "Everybody, please welcome the Darkstalkers Alliance!" A number of half-hearted cheers followed. "Erm, right ... anyway, quick trivia. Demitri only drinks female blood and he prefers AB type over all the rest."   
  
"That was not very courteous of him," Demitri observed to Morrigan even as a girl in the crowd shrieked and fainted. "I do not discuss _his_ feeding habits, do I?"   
  
"At least the ladies still fall for you, dear," Morrigan replied with a wink.   
  
"Okay, so that didn't go well ... anyway, our next contestant is the former mayor of Metro City and one of the people responsible for ridding it of Mad Gear. He's also a regular on the wrestling circuit despite his age and is actually the captain of this team. He's a good friend of many of the contestants here and his daughter Jessica is with us tonight. Well, he needs no other introduction, really, and here he comes, the fighting mayor ... Mike Haggar!" Wearing a fine tuxedo that could barely contain his muscles, Haggar appeared in the doorway of the arena and waved to everyone. He took his proper place in the line while the Final Fight Team cheered him on.   
  
"Our next contestant is a relatively new addition to the wrestling circuit but has already managed to make a name for himself. He is the champion and winner of the third World Warrior tournament. Although he entered for the sake of revenge, now he simply travels looking to improve his style. He was trained by his father's best friend, Tom, who unfortunately could not be here with us tonight but is probably watching by television. Well, here he is, the neo-American powerhouse ... Alex!" Wearing green military fatigues, headband wrapped around his blond hair, Alex appeared in the doorway, expression stern and serious. He strode to his spot beside Haggar without a word and the cheers for him were decidedly more muted.   
  
"And the final member of this team is one of the most feared and respected members of the wrestling circuit. He left his native Russia due to lack of competition. Once a tactician for the Red Army, he still trains hard by wrestling with bears! His signature wrestling technique was inspired when he was caught up in a tornado. He even has a scar on his back from an incident when he protected the ex-president of Russia from an assassination attempt. Ladies and gentlemen, without more ado here is the red cyclone ... Zangief!" Striding out of the mists came a huge man, clad in a massive red cape that concealed his entire body. He slowly walked over to his teammates and took his place. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Wrestlers' Association! Team trivia: Haggar and Zangief are rivals! Each one constantly infuriates the other by stealing moves - Haggar stole Zangief's piledriver and as revenge Zangief stole the lariat! Even now, the two of them cannot agree on ... uh, guys, why're you giving me that look ...?" Luckily for Jin, the referees were present to restrain the wrestlers.   
  
"Anyway, now that that's out of the way - our next contestant is a former Shadowlaw assassin. She used to be one of Bison's elite doll squad but now works a part-time job in a jewelry store. For this tournament she's teamed up with two former companions, so will everybody please raise the roof for the level-headed assassin ... Juni!" Dressed in the dark, signature one-piece suit of a Shadowlaw doll assassin, Juni somersaulted into the stadium and waved cheerfully. She took her place next to Zangief as the crowd cheered.   
  
"The next name in the roster is also a former Shadowlaw assassin but now volunteers for the Red Cross all over the globe. Before the second World Warrior tournament, she went hunting after a teammate of hers but later turned against her master. She's also the mother of Kirina Houshi by Ryu, although that's a hotly debated occurrance ... anyway, here she is, the depressed killer ... Juli!" Also glad in the dark Shadowlaw doll suit, Juli strode out of the mist, doffed her cap, and bowed elaborately. Jin scratched his head as Juli took her place next to Juni. "Who the heck told me she was depressed?" he muttered to himself.   
  
"And now, the leader of the team and yet another former Shadowlaw assassin! The deadliest of them all, she is a clone of M. Bison and was actually meant to be his next body, but, uh - that plan went awry somewhere. It's a long story. Anyway, she was later saved and participated in the second World Warrior tournament. Now she is a valued member of Britain's elite Delta Red squad and considered the most eligible bacholerette in this tournament. Here she is, the forgotten weapon ... Cammy White!" Cammy walked out of the doorway and into the arena, her long blonde hair tied back in two elaborate braids and wearing the Delta Red battle uniform. The crowd went wild, men yelling out that they loved her and wanted to marry her. Cammy blithely ignored them and took her place alongside Juli and Juni, pausing only to speak with them. "Here they are, everybody, the Killer Bees! Quick trivia: Although Juli and Juni were originally kidnapped and brainwashed into serving as dolls - shame on you, Bison - Cammy was actually artifically grown by Shadowlaw. Strange, isn't it?   
  
"Moving on with the schedule, the next fighter is an exchange student studying in Japan. She's a Lian and has substantial powers over wind; she also has past connections to one of the fighters here with us tonight, though I won't mention whom. Rumor has it that she also works part-time in the Japanese national weather service. Ladies and gentlemen, greet the divine tempest ... Chan Yoruyamatiha!" A massive wind sprang into being, wildly whipping around the entire stadium before converging into the center and lining up next to the other fighters. When it subsided, Chan stood up and tossed back a blonde strand of hair.   
  
"Our next contestant is an American college student and the Lian of water. Not surprisingly, she's studying for a degree in oceanology. Everyone, please welcome the treacherous tide ... Kikoken!" Kikoken appeared in the doorway and curtseyed to the crowd, then took her place next to Chan and the two friends conversed quietly. Chun-Li sniffed airily. "Hmph. Fangirls these days."   
  
"The next fighter and the leader of this team is a Ninjutsu teacher by day and a street brawler by night. He's also a master card player and rumor even suggests that he is overly preoccupied with justice - in his own way, of course. Here he is, the shadow of blind strength ... Edgar!" Dressed in a fighter's outfit, hair recently dyed blond and his outfit completed with a sash and tight shoes, Edgar appeared in the arena and formally bowed to the audience before taking his place next to his team members. "Let's hear it for Project Justice! Team trivia: None of these people actually exist in the storyline."   
  
"Don't go away yet, ladies and gentlemen, our next contestant is a Japanese student. He currently studies art and has quite a reputation in the artistic world. One of the lesser known facts about him, however, is that he is also quite a fighter. Everyone, please welcome the cultured warrior ... Mitsukake Kagatoshi!" Mitsukake appeared from the mists, a thin and surprisingly tall man dressed in an elaborate suit. He waved cheerfully to the crowds and took his place next to the Project Justice team, making sure to steer well clear of Chan.   
  
"The next fighter learned his art by watching tapes of Ken Masters in action. He uses a modified version of Ansatsuken and recently put in a strong showing at the U.S. Martial Arts Open. He's even married to his team captain - well, at least, in this storyline he is. Some call him the heir to Ansatsuken. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the flaring dragon ... Darrell Markis!" Wearing a karate uniform, Darrell appeared at the entrance to the arena wearing a pair of shades. He waved coolly to the crowd and took his place next to Mitsukake.   
  
"Finally, the captain of this team and a very talented fighter in her own right. She is currently focusing more on college studies but always has time for a good fight. Rumor has it that Shadowlaw once tried to kidnap her for the Doll project. She is a very big fan of Ryu and her style is an arranged form of Ansatsuken. Sorry, guys, but she's married to Darrell ... well, here she is, the combative student ... Sakura Kasugano!" Dressed in a standard sailor uniform and wearing a white headband, Sakura appeared and gave a wild whoop before running off to join her teammates. "And that does it for the New Generation team! Team trivia: There's a lot of confusion, but it would appear that Sakura's appearance in Rival Schools was nothing except an Easter egg. Oh well." At the floor of the podium, Sakura had to endure a rash of laughter from the Lords of Shadowlaw.   
  
"We're almost done, folks. Our next contestant is an IDC soldier who used to be a member of Her Majesty's Cold Stream guards. Even now, he is still a knighted member of the British military and occasionally trains British soldiers. Considered the weapons master of the IDC, he served with great distinction in its various wars. Everybody, give it up for the grey hawk ... Sir Lloyd Cunningham!" Dressed in a great trench coat that concealed his IDC uniform, Lloyd appeared in the doorway of the arena. He was an older British gentleman with a small moustache who looked to be in his mid-forties. He said nothing, only quickly and efficiently slipped in to his place.   
  
"The second member of this team is also an IDC soldier who grew up on the streets. Despite his age, he's a veteran of the IDC's old conflicts and played a key role in the War of Ascendancy. As with the other members of the team, he trained under the tutelage of McGrath. Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the volcanic bandit ... Blake Wallis!" Blake strutted out of the mists near the doorway entrance, dressed in the IDC combat uniform. He looked to be in his late-twenties, perhaps. Half-swaggering towards his proper place, Blake waved to the crowd repeatedly until Jin finally lost his temper. "Hurry it up or you'll eat Blodia's fist! We have a schedule to keep!" Blake shrugged and took his position.   
  
"IDC soldiers ... anyway, the last member of this misfit team and its leader is none other than one of the IDC's most brilliant soldiers. She played important roles in both Operation Judgment and the War of Ascendancy. She's even refused promotion many times in order to remain a field operative. Ladies and gentlemen, the silktailed butterfly ... Samantha McGrath!" She appeared in the doorway, her long blonde hair tied back into a single ponytail that flowed down to her back. She too wore the IDC uniform, but it was a woman's version. Samantha bowed to the ecstatic crowd and took her place next to her fellow team members. "Here they are, the _Phantom_ Strike Force. Quick trivia: All IDC soldiers have individual callsigns; Lloyd's is Greyhawk, Blake's is Apache, and Samantha's is Keychain.   
  
"The next fighter is the leader of his team as well as an intergalactic police officer. He is responsible for foiling the plans of various madmen bent on taking over the galaxy. The captain of a team of crack soldiers, he formed a new alliance specifically to investigate this tournament. Without more ado, here he is, the proverbial hero ... Captain Commando!" Arrayed in his high-tech police suit, Captain Commando appeared in the doorway, all smiles, and saluted the crowd before slipping next to Samantha.   
  
"Our next contestant is a pirate lady of the high seas. She was involved in the Armor of Erosion incident a few years ago but now has agreed to join Commando for this tournament. Ladies and gentlemen, the cunning sea hare ... Ruby Heart!" Dressed like a buccaneer, the pirate hat rakishly tilted to one angle, Ruby Heart appeared in the entrance to the arena. She bowed to the audience and strode to stand by Captain Commando.   
  
"The final member of this team is a ninja and part of the Strider line of assassins. At the age of sixteen, he became the youngest member of the organization to ever earn the rank of Class A Strider. But the ultimate test of his abilities came when he had to stop his own father from taking over the world and he succeeded admirably. Ladies and gentlemen, the warrior who is one with the night ... Hiryu!" At the sound of his name, a large glider came floating into the arena; Hiryu detached himself from it and neatly landed next to his two teammates as the glider flew on. He wore the Class A Strider uniform with a red scarf bound around his chin and a set of dangerous looking weapons at his disposal. "Here they are; please welcome the Neo Commando Squad to the tournament! Quick trivia: Each member of this team was the star of exactly one Capcom title before coming here." The crowd cheered wildly.   
  
"Last but most certainly not least, our final contestant is also the second single entry of this tournament. Many of you already know him by reputation as a wanderer who murders fighters across the globe. He is perhaps the single most feared name on the fighting circuit and his legend has only grown over time. Here he comes; be afraid, be very afraid, for he is none other than the Chaos Prince ... Dadallent!" Rather than coming out of the mist, the mist seemed to part for him and the light of the stadium gradually illuminated him. Dark assassin's gear, two epaulets, a headband pulled low over his eyes, a red scarf concealing most of his facial features, a short sword sheathed on his back - it was a well-known and greatly feared image. This time there were neither cheers nor boos; instead, children clung to their parents in panic and a deathly silence fell over the arena. As Dadallent slowly stalked towards his proper place in the line, not a soul there but felt a shiver of fear as he passed.   
  
Jin recovered quickly. "And that's the full roster, ladies and gentlemen! This is Jin Saotome, speaking on behalf of the World Collision tournament. Our first match begins in three days. These matches will be held in unspecified locations around the world, with the finals scheduled to occur right here. You can follow the battles right from your TV sets or alteratively in Osaka stadium where the holoprojector will bring the battle right to you. Before I say goodnight, here's a special announcement from M., the sponsor of the tournament!"   
  
The crowd hushed with anticipation. But the announcement did not come from the speakers, nor did the holoprojector find the elusive M. Instead, each and every member of the crowd heard the speech as though M. were right next to him or her. The voice was soft and feminine, a seductive soprano. _ Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is both my honor and pleasure to have everyone with me here tonight. I look forward to seeing the best fighters in the world compete, for only the strongest can win.   
  
You will not see me until the finals, but rest assured that I am watching each of you very closely, as is the rest of the world. The team that wins this tournament will earn the title of 'mightiest world warriors' ... _   
  
"Bah, who needs a title?" Sagat scoffed.   
  
_... A monetary prize of three hundred million U.S. dollars, distributed evenly among team members ..._   
  
Ken sniffed. "Hmph, pocket change. What a waste of time."   
  
_... and the powers of a diety. That is all I have to say for now. Thank you for being here and goodnight._   
  
Jedah shrugged and turned to his fellow referee. "Well, Gill, aren't you relieved you decided not to participate?"   
  


* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
One hour has passed _   
  
After the ceremony, the fighters had gathered in one of Japan's Genhanten restaurants. It was right across the streets from the impossibly luxurious hotel in which they were quartered. As the sweet aroma of cooking gradually made its way around the massive room, at one of the large tables off to the side the veterans were discussing the tournament.   
  
Sagat opened the discussion. "I want to know, is there anyone here besides myself who feels uneasy about this entire competition?"   
  
Nods came from all members present at the table. "Yes," M. Bison agreed, "something is very wrong here. The power to be a god is being offered as a prize? What sort of person could offer _that_?"   
  
"You get the feeling that we're walking blindly into a trap," Haggar said.   
  
"Precisely," Bison replied. He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "We must be on our guard. Something sinister is happening; we simply don't know what. If anything happens to anyone, let everyone else know and we can take action together." There were nods and murmurs of agreement from all around the table.   
  
"So does anyone know who 'M.' might be?" Gen asked. Though not a contestant, he had joined the fighter veterans at the table.   
  
"That voice," Gill said, thoughtfully, "I know I have heard it before ... but when?"   
  
"You think M.'s identity is the key to this whole mystery?" Captain Commando queried.   
  
"I am certain of it," Gill replied. He shook his head. "I apologize, but I truly cannot remember."   
  
"Well, take your time, there's no use rushing to conclusions," Ernest McGrath said. "I, for one, am more concerned about _him_. No, don't stare; look discreetly." He indicated Dadallent, sitting in a shadowed corner, giving off the impression that he was watching the entire room. However a man with a black headband pulled over his eyes could watch a room, but there was a deadly and unmistakable aura around him. His hands were in plain view, folded along the table.   
  
"That bastard killed my friend Zeku," Haggar growled.   
  
"We have all lost friends to him," Gen added.   
  
Haggar began to stand up. "Excuse me for a moment while I go over and pound -"   
  
He was interrupted when Rose and McGrath, on either side of him, hastily pulled him back into his chair. "For sanity's sake, Mike, get a grip on yourself," McGrath hissed lowly. "He hasn't been captured in nearly ten years of murder. Some of the best in the world have tried; we lost two full strike forces trying, and I heard the S.T.A.R.S. and the U.S. Seals fared even worse. Think, there's a reason he isn't behind bars."   
  
"I think we can take him, together," Sagat proposed.   
  
"You want to end this tournament before it begins?" Bison demanded.   
  
"What's the objection?" Sagat shot back. "He killed my best pupil, Adon. You were dead during his career, but even you must have heard about him after your revival. He's too dangerous to be allowed to leave after this tournament."   
  
"You could bring M.'s wrath down on all of us," Bison warned.   
  
"Do you have some sort of ulterior motive planned, coward?"   
  
"Why you -! _Psycho -_!"   
  
Gill restrained Bison as McGrath held Sagat firmly in his chair. "Will you two cut it out?" an irritated Gen demanded. "This is a restaurant, not a place to brawl. Take it outside if you really want to fight."   
  
Meanwhile, at another table, old friends were quickly catching up on old times. The IDC _Phantoms_ were there as well as the Police Investigators and the Killer Bees. "I haven't heard a word from any of you since the War of Ascendancy began!" Jill Valentine exclaimed. "It's incredible meeting all of you here. How're the other _Phantoms_ doing?"   
  
"Great, actually," Blake replied. "You have anything you want to say to them?"   
  
"It's been some time, Instructor Cunningham," Cammy said.   
  
"Nearly five years," Lloyd agreed. He noticed, with some satisfaction, that Cammy had finally begun to develop a slight British accent after a decade with Delta Red. They chatted up on old times while Jill blushed and tried to fend off Blake's attempts to flirt with her.   
  
"Well, at least the Killer Bees are having fun," Chun-Li remarked from yet another table. She looked at Charlie and Guile. "I take it you two also decided to come because of the mystery behind the tournament, right?"   
  
"Exactly," Charlie replied. "This is the most well-advertised and logistically complex tournament I've ever seen, and yet the trails deadens so quickly? I'm sure you have your suspicions as well, Chun-Li - I've talked to Samantha, and I know she feels the same way. Problem is, we still don't have a clue as to what's going on. Anyway, how're the children doing?"   
  
"They're going through that phase," Chun-Li replied, pointing to her left where Sakura was chasing Mitsukake around a table with a spatula. "They're good kids, though."   
  
"Charlie and Chun-Li chatting away while Guile keeps a cold silence ... reminds me of old times, eh, Ryu?" Ken Masters asked from another table. He chuckled. "Still training as hard as ever, eh? Oh, uh, piece of advice - I'd keep your daughter clear of Kenneth Feng if at all possible." He and Ryu both looked to the side where Kenny was offering a cigarette to Kirina. "He's a good person but a bad influence - got Mel to swear in just a week and a half."   
  
"Thanks. I'll keep that advice in mind," Ryu noted.   
  
"So how's the marriage working out?" Ken asked.   
  
"Marriage? Ken, have you been drinking again?"   
  
Ken slapped himself on the cheeks several times. "Sorry. I keep forgetting that we're actually supposed to be in character - for once - and because of that you've never cared for any romance."   
  
"Glad my old sparring partner still understands me."   
  
Across the room, Yun Lee half-swaggered over to the Project Justice table. "Well hello there, cupcakes! Normally I wouldn't ask, but how about a double date? You girls can play rock-paper-scissors and the loser has to go out with Yang while the winner gets me."   
  
"Er, well, actually ..." Kikoken began.   
  
"I'll pass," Chan said. "You may have both of them, Kikoken, if you wish."   
  
"Aw, come on, the more the merrier I say," Yun persisted. "Hey, look, here comes the food. I think I see caviar and lobster and some champagne to boot. And fruit, too. You like vegetables?"   
  
"And here comes the sacrificial lamb."   
  
"What? What do you -"   
  
Chan pointed and instantly Yun fell silent. Standing in the doorway to the restaurant was a very distinctive man wearing a pink fighting uniform. When he crowed, all eyes turned his way. "Bow down before Dan Hibiki of the Saikyo school of martial arts! C'mon, kids, I know you're all dying for lessons from the master of Saikyo! Whaddya say? Join now and I'll give everyone here a half discount." Flexing his arms and strutting around the room, Dan halted in front of Dadallent's table. "Hey, you, what's wrong? Fighting's no good without being able to show off! It's okay, you're not alone - all fighters go through this phase, when they realize that they need to learn Saikyo." He tried to drag the Chaos Prince out of the seat.   
  
"I don't need this," the dark warrior intoned.   
  
"Rubbish, I'll cure you of that misconception," Dan replied cheerfully. The Chaos Prince stood up abruptly, almost causing Dan to fall over backwards, but Dan simply took the event as a symbol of his victory. He flexed an arm and spun around, indicating the entire room. "See, what'd I tell you? Saikyo is the strongest! Yahoo!"   
  
In that instant, Dadallent struck.   
  
He seized Dan from behind, by the shoulders, and then it seemed that ... darkness ... flowed out of his hands and swiftly overran the entire room, leaving everyone shouting in confusion. Chan felt around her, instantly realizing that this was no ordinary darkness. It seemed almost tangible, as though it were greedily reaching for her skin, her flesh, her soul. There was no time to reflect, though; a moment later, a scream pierced her train of thinking, a shriek of fear, terror, and mortal agony. It lasted but an instant before it was abruptly cut off; a moment later, something warm and wet hit her entire body with the force of an air blast and she was nearly knocked off her seat. As quickly as it had come, the darkness lifted and was gone.   
  
Chan instantly realized that she was covered with blood; a moment later, her horrified eyes focused on a very obviously dead Dan, lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood. Speaking of which, blood seemed to have been splattered around the entire restaurant and everyone appeared to be soaked with it. Dan's face seemed to be contorted in agony; a single Chinese character, the word for evil, had been written into his body by tearing out flesh from his chest. And standing over the mutilated body was Dadallent, immaculate and spotless. He leaned over for a moment to regard his handiwork, then slowly and deliberately stalked out of the restaurant, leaving behind everyone else aghast. 


	5. You're all Just Chess Pieces!

**You're all Just Chess Pieces!**   
  


* * *

**Author's Notes:** There's something I should have explained earlier but forgot to. In the character pages, AP represents the character's physical fighting ability and LP represents the character's spiritual power. It's a pain in the rear to explain, but generally the higher the rating the better. Hope that clears up a few things. (Note: AP and LP ratings are _not_ indicators of where a character falls in the tier list! The tier list will be released after the tournament ends.)   
  
**Chan:** Finally, the mysterious boyfriend is revealed. Enjoy. Why'd it take so long for you to figure it out anyways?   
  
**Kikoken:** Okay, okay, I'll update ... sheesh ... the pressure you guys put on me ...   
  
**DeNice:** Are you saying that my killing Dan was a bad thing?! Don't ever question my decisions again, you hear?! Or would you rather that _your_ OCs were murdered?! Answer me! Heh, sorry about that, but I've always wanted an excuse to say that. ^_^   
  


* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
One day has passed _   
  
The sun had barely risen over the horizon, but even this early in the morning Ryu was already taking his breakfast in the hotel's dining room. He was dressed in plain denim jeans and a silk overshirt, sandals on his feet. Ryu stared down at the food piled upon his plate; fish, sushi, a bowl of soup containing ingredients that he couldn't possibly identify, and milk. The silverware was the finest available, the tablecloth clean and spotless, and Ryu could feel the plush red carpet brushing against his heels. Although unused to such extravagance, he fully appreciated every last bit of it.   
  
He'd only just begun his meal when he caught sight of Ernest McGrath appearing from the big set of double doors that led from the commons area. McGrath was dressed in a tuxedo, clean-shaven and looking very healthy. He nodded to Ryu, who nodded back; after stacking his own plate full of ingestibles, McGrath indicated the seat next to Ryu with a nod and Ryu again nodded. McGrath sat down and gently set his plate on the table. "Good morning, Ryu. Sleep well?"   
  
"Always." A slice of fish vanished down Ryu's throat. "And you, doctor?"   
  
"My wife's snoring kept me up." Ryu was about to object after a moment's thought; McGrath chuckled and preempted him. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding ... just don't tell her I said that. You're rooming with ... Ken, correct?"   
  
"Yes. Eliza and Mel are returning to the states - they should be well over the Pacific by now. What about the others, hmm? I know that Blake and Lloyd are in the same room, while my daughter is sharing a room with Maki, but I haven't heard much else."   
  
McGrath ticked off the contestants on his fingers. "Guy and Cody are together, to the shock, surprise, and dismay of no one; Demitri and Morrigan are together; Vega and Balrog have the same room, though last I heard Vega was looking for a suitable replacement; Charlie and Guile share the same room, again no surprise; Bison and Haggar have the same room, one floor above mine; Chan and Kikoken share a room; Ruby and Jill have another room together - they got one on the ground floor, lucky ladies - should I go on?"   
  
"No, that's fine." Ryu paused midway through the motion of bringing a spoonful of soup into his mouth. "Ernest, have you seen the competition bracket yet?"   
  
"First thing I looked at this morning." McGrath neatly folded a silk napkin upon itself and slid his knife into the cloth. "So, the Darkstalker's Alliance is facing off against the Neo Commando Squad in three days, at an exotic Greek ruin, no less. This one's going to be hard to call. Who do you think will win?"   
  
Ryu shrugged. "Impossible to say. I -" He abruptly stiffened, becoming conscious of an ominous presence ... somewhere. He couldn't place it. "Do you feel that?"   
  
"Yes. Don't act so startled; he's been watching us for three minutes. I wouldn't worry about him, though; his aura is weaker than yours and lacks your level of control. Just be ready to act if he suddenly makes a move." McGrath finished a last slice of sushi. "Well, I'd love to hang around, but I still have to drill the _Phantoms_ today. I'll be either in my room or in the outdoor gym if you need me for anything."   
  
A sudden flare in the dark aura was all the warning Ryu had before a shape blurred into focus, heading straight for him ... instinctively Ryu thrust himself back from the table and assumed a defensive stance. McGrath, however, merely flung the silk napkin at the intruder; the concealed knife hit with a solid thunk and the unidentified attacker lost balance for a moment. In that instant, Ryu and McGrath both covered the three feet separating themselves from the unknown fighter and sank a pair of solid hits into his body. He landed in an ungainly heap into the carpet; when he glanced up, Ryu suddenly felt himself beset by tremendous shock. He was staring into his own face.   
  
Or rather, a twisted, distorted version of it. The facial features were the same, albeit somewhat younger-looking, but the skin tone appeared slightly darker. And where Ryu's eyes were intense, this fighter's appeared lost in haze, unfocused and brimming with energy. He wore a traditional black karate uniform, with a dark blue headband around his forehead. In a word, it was Evil Ryu. "Y - you! You're still alive?!"   
  
"Aargh ... fight me, one of you!" he cried. His aura flared again; with this signal, McGrath easily dodged a surprise uppercut from the ground. As Evil Ryu landed back upon the floor, McGrath stuck a foot behind his ankle and pushed him backwards. He landed heavily upon the ground. Although he recovered instantly, this time he remained upon his knees, looking upwards. "You, foreigner ... why won't you fight me with all of your strength?"   
  
McGrath glared at him. "Look at you, you pitiful excuse for a warrior. It's been more than twelve long years, yet still your moves lack any sort of focus or discipline. You haven't improved - at all! In your quest for ultimate power, Ryu, you've forgotten - the fight is all. In this state, consumed by your desire to win no matter what the cost, you can't possibly improve. I have no need to fight with all my strength, as I could destroy you with half. Hmph, to say nothing of myself, Ryu over there could also defeat you without raising his heartbeat."   
  
"Then what about you?" Evil Ryu demanded of his counterpart.   
  
"Killing Intent is not the way," Ryu replied without hesitation.   
  
Scowling, Evil Ryu pushed himself to his feet. "Damned imbeciles - well, if I can't find a good fight with either of you, then I'll simply look elsewhere! Just remember this: Energy of Murderous Intent is the only way to fight! Without it, you are nothing!"   
  
"No, you mustn't!" McGrath shouted. "_He_ will murder you, for certain -!" The warning came too late, as with another blur of light Evil Ryu faded into intangibility. McGrath struck empty air in frustration. "The fool - what is he going to prove, getting himself killed? And killed he will be."   
  
"Then ... you mean Sagat ...?" Ryu asked.   
  
"No, he will not be looking for Sagat, at least not immediately. He'll search for the only other true warrior here besides yourself and Sagat. And should he find that man ... Ryu will fight ferociously and die swiftly at the hands of the Chaos Prince." McGrath's tone softened when he looked to Ryu. "Do not blame yourself, Ryu, you had nothing to do with this. Considering that even Bison, with his soul already once destroyed by Gouki, has returned, my only surprise is that Ryu did not appear sooner."   
  
"Ten years ago ..." Ryu said thoughtfully. "It's been ten years since that day when Bison seduced me with Psycho Power." He shook his head clear. "No - I rejected it then, and I still reject it now. Killing intent has no part in my philosophy."   
  
McGrath nodded his approval and stooped to retrieve the knife. Both of them looked up as Guy appeared in the room, dressed in the classic red Bushin pajama outfit complete with his ever-stylish Nike sneakers. "Good morning, Ryu, doctor ... what just happened here? Do you sense ...?"   
  
Ryu sighed. "It's a long story."   
  


* * *

  
_Riiiiiiiiiiing._   
  
Abruptly and rudely awakened by the sound of the telephone, Sean Matsuda swore to himself and rolled over his sheets, reaching for the offending object. _What could be so important at this time in the morning? Blast it, ever since I joined the tournament, I've been counting sleep in minutes ..._ Picking up the receiver, Sean growled a decidedly unpleasant "Hello" into the phone, placing heavy emphasis upon the first syllable of the word. "Make it quick ... look, I told you people yesterday night, this is a hotel room ... no, I am not interested ... don't make me say it again ... right. Goodbye." He dropped the receiver back into its proper place.   
  
"Who was that?" With a voice dulled by sleep, Kenneth Feng consulted the clock and decided that it was high time to rise and shine. He stepped out of bed and strode off into the bathroom. "Sean?"   
  
"It was those cursed Shadowlaw telemarketers again - making this the third time they're called us since we moved in." Sean pinched his nose and mimicked, with reasonable authenticity, the perpetually cheerful voice that all Shadowlaw agents seemed to have. "'Hi, my name is Candy Lackwit, I'm calling on behalf of Shadowlaw. For a limited time, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to the Doll scholarship or the Shadow initiatve.' I swear, every time I hear that voice I just want to jump up and stab!" Sean stifled a yawn. "Bah, morning ... might as well get up now rather than later. Don't use up all the hot water, Kenny."   
  
Kenneth reappeared, recently shaved and dressed in punk attire. "What are your plans for today, Sean? And do remember to groom yourself correctly, you'll scare the ladies away in your present state."   
  
"Training, grooming, more training, lack of any fun ... this isn't what I signed up for, Kenny. Why don't I just shoot myself and get it over with? At least I'd be a chick magnet then."   
  
"Eh? How so?" Kenneth leaned in, hoping to get insider information.   
  
"Because all the girls dig rigor mortis. Which, by the way, is what certain Shadowlaw telemarketers will soon experience if they don't leave us alone." Still grumbling good-naturedly, Sean hauled himself out of bed and shambled into the bathroom. "You go ahead, Kenny; I'll catch up later. And be sure to wake Kirina up while you're at it, she needs the beauty sleep much less than I do."   
  


* * *

  
An hour later, Captain Commando and Strider Hiryu found the Project Justice team at the breakfast tables. Commando was dressed in a white tuxedo, hair slicked back and his ever-present red shades perched on his nose. Hiryu, on the other hand, wore his modern-day ninja outfit, only with the red scarf pulled down so that his entire face was exposed and his Cypher blade conspicuously absent. Edgar wore a suit and a tie, a friendly smile pasted on his face, and Kikoken looked simply dazzling in her floor-length turquoise dress. "Morning, Edgar, Kikoken," Commando greeted warmly. "Say, where's the third member of your team?"   
  
Edgar shrugged. "Chan tends to be bitchy if she's woken up early."   
  
"Oh."   
  
"Her definition of early," Edgar added, "is any time before noon."   
  
_"Oh."_ Commando scratched his head. "I suppose I won't press the matter, then. Say, have you seen the tournament roster? We're up against the Darkstalker's Alliance in three days. I heard that your team's first match will be against the Triple Dragons. Best of luck."   
  
"Wish luck to someone who needs it," Edgar replied confidently. "Our brackets are right next to each other, so I'll be seeing you in the first round of the second matches. Have fun, captain."   
  
"He certainly is confident," Hiryu observed dryly as he and Commando walked away.   
  
"He believes that justice never fails. Considering the team we're up against, I'm not so certain of that myself," Commando replied. "I'll go look for Ruby; I'd like to spend the rest of the day drilling team tactics, if possible."   
  


* * *

  
Standing outside of the room that Ryu shared with Ken, Chun-Li tugged nervously at her neck collar and tried to untie a knot that had suddenly materialized in her stomach. She was expecting an unpleasant interview with Ryu, but this had to be done. She wore a beautiful dress of vermillion and magenta shades, complete with a golden blouse and two ornate jade pins holding her hair up. Chun-Li nervously cleared her throat and knocked on the door. The knock seemed to reverberate oddly, as if mocking her attempt to be formal.   
  
There was a short pause; the door creaked open and Ken Masters appeared, wearing a white tuxedo. "Please be looking for me," he begged upon glancing at Chun-Li.   
  
She tried to peep around him. "Um, is Ryu here ...? There's something I have to say to him."   
  
"I'm right here!" Ryu called out cheerfully from the back of the room. He walked into view, holding a pair of chopsticks in one hand and a book in the other. "Hi, Chun-Li. Uh-oh ... that long face ... you have something serious to discuss, huh?" When she nodded quickly, Ryu put his items aside. "Come in. Ken, I hate to ask, but would you ...?"   
  
"Yeah, sure. I'll be in the local mall if you're looking for me."   
  
Ken stepped outside and walked away, whistling a tune to himself. Chun-Li quietly shut the door behind him; when Ryu invited her to have a seat on the bed with him, she quietly tiptoed next to him and sat down. "Now, what is it that you wanted to speak to me about?"   
  
Chun-Li fumbled around with her dress before giving her hesitant reply. "Well, um ... Ryu, I don't know how to say this ... I mean, this is kind of hard for me, since nobody's expecting this ... but, Ryu - I don't love you. I ... I never have. People expect me to, but I ... I just don't have any feelings for you, Ryu. I'm sorry, I really am, but I just had to say this."   
  
Ryu smiled gently and in total comprehension. "I understand you perfectly, Chun-Li, because in truth I don't love you either. How often have we met before in the past ... once, twice? Rumors are ugly things, aren't they?"   
  
Chun-Li nearly collapsed with relief. "Thank you so much, Ryu! I was afraid that this would turn into a long weeping session." She smiled wryly. "Just to let you know, though, this doesn't mean that I can't kick your ass the way I used to." She winked; Ryu chuckled, and a moment later both of them burst out laughing. "Brings back memories of old times, doesn't it? Well, I have to go; the paperwork's calling my name, but if I can find some spare time I'd gladly spar with you, Ryu."   
  
Ryu saw Chun-Li to the door. "I welcome the challenge at any time."   
  


* * *

  
"Hey, doctor!" Ernest McGrath looked up from a video card to see Ken Masters calling him from across the room. Both of them were in one of the local shopping malls and in an electronics store. Ken was still dressed in his white tuxedo, while McGrath had changed into more comfortable slacks and a T-shirt. Ken idly picked up a set of headphones and pretended to examine it while he walked to where McGrath was standing. He indicated the women - Samantha, Chan, Maki, Kirina, and Cammy - sitting outside the store at an oversized table with ice cream cones and fish stories. "Your daughter's really beautiful, you know," Ken continued. "Say, uh ... would you mind if I go out with her tonight?"   
  
McGrath looked him over with a considering eye, reshelving the video card. "Aren't you a married man, Ken?"   
  
Ken winked at McGrath. "Eliza doesn't have to know. Hey, you're only in trouble if you get caught, right?"   
  
McGrath shrugged. "Have it your way. Let the woman decide - if it's fine with her, then it's fine with me." He returned to browsing the equipment, but when Ken left his side he watched the American approach his wife with a careful eye. Samantha had just finished her ice cream cone, but when Ken slid into the seat next to her and she did not react, McGrath simply laughed inside and returned to his study of the store's products. Kirina saluted Ken and they made some small talk together before he turned to the object of his visit.   
  
"Samantha, I presume?" Ken asked.   
  
She nodded regally. "And you must be Ken Masters. An honor."   
  
They shook hands. Ken cut straight to the point while the other four women gossipped amongst themselves. "Say, you have tonight off? I used to live around here, I know a great place we could go and eat." He winked at her for extra effect. "Whaddya say? I'll pick up the tab."   
  
Samantha remained unaffected by the generous gesture. "That is very kind of you, sir, but I have a prior engagement. My husband and I will be at a karaoke bar tonight with the other members of the strike force. You are welcome to join us there should you be so inclined."   
  
"Nah, I don't want to share someone as beautiful as you with another person," Ken replied, blithely ignoring Kirina's stares and Maki's snide comments. "Your husband doesn't need to know, right? I heard from Guile that the military makes plenty of last-minutes schedule changes. You could pull one off." Had Ken been less enamored of Samantha, he might have noticed that Kirina had stopped staring at him or that Maki's commentary had abruptly ceased. But he recklessly pushed on. "Besides, it's a real high class restaurant; we could even stop by the jeweller's on the way back. I'll buy you a gem that costs more than a soldier makes in half a year. And really, nobody would find out. Why not tell your husband that you've been given an emergency mission?   
  
"Why not tell him yourself? He _is_ standing behind you, after all."   
  
"Wha -?" Ken whirled around, to find McGrath staring down at him with folded arms and looking decidedly threatening. He nearly fell out of his chair. "Y - you?! You're the husband?!"   
  
At that point McGrath could no longer restrain himself and burst out laughing. "Of course I am, though it's not common knowledge outside of the IDC, so I don't blame you." He leaned in conspiratorically and whispered into Ken's ears. "Still, I'd make myself scarce if I were you, and quickly. Gossip has a way of getting around everywhere and wouldn't it be unfortunate if Eliza heard of this escapade?"   
  
Ken took the hint and scurried away, his face by now as red as the uniform that he normally wore. McGrath seated himself next to Samantha and chuckled. "Poor guy; I shouldn't have said that. Probably scared him half to death."   
  
Cammy snickered. "He deserves it, though," she observed, and the other women nodded their agreement.   
  
"Hey, is that ...? Yeah, it is!" Maki waved, catching the attention of Strider Hiryu some distance away. Unlike everyone else, Hiryu was dressed in his ninja uniform, complete with his belt and pair of blades. His red scarf had been pulled down so that his entire face was exposed. Hiryu brightened when he caught sight of the group, and he rapidly closed the distance between himself and the table, bearing especially for Chan, who stood up to meet him. Chan waited until he was about two feet away from her. Then she slapped him across the face. Hard.   
  
Surprisingly, Hiryu did nothing in response, only rubbed his reddening cheek with his left hand. "I probably deserved that," he observed ruefully.   
  
"How could you do that to me?" Chan demanded, acutely aware of the uncomfortable silence that she was causing. "I was young, I was gullible, and I foolishly believed everything that you told me! I thought you loved me! You broke my heart, did you know that?" Behind Chan's back, Maki arched her eyebrows and traded glances with Kirina, Cammy, and Samantha. McGrath, watching Chan closely, made a hand motion indicating that her aura was building up. If she decided to create a scene here in the mall ...   
  
"Would it help if I said that I'm sorry?" Hiryu asked quietly. "Because I am, I truly am, of all the pain that I caused you. I had no idea that - no, no excuses. Just an apology. I'm sorry, Chan." He held out his hands to her.   
  
Erstwhile obdurate, now tears had begun to streak down Chan's face. "You see," she sniffled, choking back a tear, "that's what I love so much about you ... your obstinence, your honesty ..." She threw herself into his arms and the two of them shared a tight embrace. For a moment there was only silence and the feeling of shared tenderness, then Chan pulled apart from Hiryu after a long moment as the two of them realized that they had been drawing stares from all directions. "I'm sorry, Hiryu, I didn't mean to go all mushy on you -"   
  
"No, it's alright. Like I said, I probably deserved it."   
  
"Oh, but so much has happened since we parted last year!" Chan said. The two of them began to walk down the mall hand in hand, leaving their friends behind, with traces of the conversation drifting back to the table. "You see, Edgar came to me with an invitation ... and how I got involved ... so I'm a Lian now ... and so is Kikoken, too ..."   
  


* * *

  
A knock on the door interrupted Ryu from his meditation. Grumbling to himself - Ken still hadn't returned from wherever he had gone - Ryu hauled himself to his feet and wearily shambled to the door. He was beginning to realize just how hard it was to meditate around the hotel. Too much noise. He opened the door and was surprised to find ... "Juli?"   
  
"Hi, Ryu. May I come in?"   
  
"Sure."   
  
Juli stepped into the room and closed the door softly. "Well, I had a flowery speech prepared, but I'm sure you'd prefer that I be honest instead of poetic, so here goes: Ryu, I don't love you. I never have. I never even met you before this tournament, so can we please stop this whole affair?"   
  
"You mean despite the fact that Kirina is your daughter ... and mine?"   
  
Juli shrugged helplessly. "I ... I don't know, really. I mean, I know that she doesn't exist in the original storyline, but she does here, and ... ah, never mind, this is all so confusing. I think I'll go back and take an aspirin. Still, I just wanted to get my point across, that I don't love you and I doubt that I ever will. I'm sure you feel the same way towards me and towards everyone else whom the tabloid reporters misrepresent. But anyway, enough of that. How's Kirina?"   
  
"Training as hard as always - sometimes for five or six hours a day. I think she ought to pay more attention to school. And you're right, Juli, in fact and in character I don't love you or anyone, but for our daughter's sake ... well, I do care for Kirina a lot, and I'm sure you do too. She's one floor below us, if you have the time to visit her. She shares a room with Maki Genryusai, 324 I believe - you've heard about the honorary attendees, right? Even though they aren't participating, the tournament sponsor still invited all them to come and just attend."   
  
"Yes, I heard." Juli consulted her watch. "Well, I have to be going, but I'll drop by and talk to Kirina. Later, Ryu. And ... thank you for understanding."   
  


* * *

  
"Bison!" Marching up a floor, a sizable crowd of the tournament's fighters actively sought out the room of the dread lord of Shadowlaw. "You can't hide forever! Aha, there you are! You don't look so formidable now, do you?"   
  
Bison glanced backwards and scowled, unable to retreat any further. His jet black hair was wet and clung limply to his skull. He was dressed in a red-pink bathrobe, a towel thrown around his shoulders, and the distinctive Shadowlaw insignia conspicuously absent from sight. A pair of pink slippers with velvet bunny faces sewn into them peeked out from under the lowest folds of the bathrobe. In a word, the entire sight was ridiculous and Bison's scowl deepened. "Don't let this look fool you, it was all that the hotel had left." From a room to the left Balrog and Vega poked their heads out of the doorway, curious as to what the commotion was all about. They quickly emerged into the hall; flanked by his henchmen, Bison, despite his awkward outfit, suddenly seemed far more threatening.   
  
Ryu, at the head of the crowd, opened the discussion. "Bison, all of us here have bones to pick with you."   
  
"Make it snappy."   
  
Ryu grinned evilly, not a look to encourage anyone. "First off, Balrog: I saw the look you gave to Kirina during the opening ceremony. Keep your hands off her body or I will remove them from yours. Vega, you stay away too, I doubt that I need to give a reason. And Bison, if either of your henchmen try anything funny with my daughter, I will hold _you_ personally responsible."   
  
Bison yawned, almost as if bored. "Done. Next!"   
  
Mitsukake marched up to Bison, flanked by Darrell and Sean on either side. Ryu, now scowling, cleared the way for them. Mitsukake thrust his cellular phone at Bison's face. "Look at this, Bison - your telemarketers have used up all my minutes for this month, plus a lot more! You have any idea how expensive minutes are nowadays? Darrell and Sean have a similar complaint. We're sick and tired of having to fend off Shadowlaw telemarketers every day of the week. Make it stop, or else I swear we're going to beat you up right here and now!"   
  
Bison's expression solidified into hardness. "I thought that I had put a stop to it months ago. Vega!" The Spanish matador stepped up and saluted smartly. "Find out who was responsible for setting up this telemarketing operation. And when you do, remember that the new Psycho Drive is in desperate need of more human batteries." Vega saluted again and wheeled away, striding off to do his job with mechanical efficiency. "Next - wha, you!"   
  
Cammy White halted in front of Bison, and was about to begin when she was abruptly and rudely interrupted. "Biiiiiiisooooon!" The loud, wailing cry startled everyone and nearly caused Vega to jump out of his skin. Guile pushed his way through the crowd, elbowing other contestants aside and halting in front of Bison. "Bison! You killed my best friend Charlie! His blood cries out for revenge -"   
  
"Um, Guile ..."   
  
"Not now, Charlie. And you murdered the family of Scott Wagner -"   
  
"Uh, sir ..."   
  
"Save it, Scott. Bison, I'm going to Sonic Boom you all over the pavement! For my friends and family, you're going down! _Sonic -!_" He drew back his arms for a powerful energy burst -   
  
- but it never came. Charlie and Wagner, having seized his arms from behind, pinned him against a wall. "Get a hold of yourself, soldier!" Charlie barked. "This is a tournament that hasn't even started and there are civilians around here! Second, do I look dead to you? Third, Scott doesn't even exist in the official storyline - no offense, Scott - and you're supposed to have gotten over this years ago! Sheesh, man, I wish we could make bullets out of your skull, no armor would stand against that."   
  
Guile gulped and glanced at Bison, who had folded his arms across his chest. "Sorry about that, Big B. I tend to lose it whenever I look at you."   
  
"No harm done," Bison replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me - yes, Ms. White?"   
  
Cammy, dressed in a femme tuxedo, approached Bison cautiously and soberly. "Lord Bison ... is that really you?" Tears began to well up in her eyes, making everyone around her acutely uncomfortable. "Why did you do that to me, to Juni, Juli, and everyone else? I was loyal to you, sir; we all were. How could you simply throw us away like garbage? How could you try to destroy us just like that? Don't you understand what you meant to me? _You were my hero!_ You were the one person in life for whom I had nothing but absolute respect and admiration! Yet you turned on me and threw it all away! Why?!" Still weeping, Cammy had to be gently led away by Mitsukake and Darrell.   
  
"Bah, imbeciles." Bison waved a hand dismissively and sneered. "She is of no use to me anymore. Now, who's next?" His sneer abruptly faded into sobriety when he realized who had appeared at the front of the crowd. "Oh."   
  
"I have a prophecy to fulfill," Guy intoned.   
  


* * *

  
An hour later, Sakura cautiously wended her way towards Ryu's room, bearing a bouquet of flowers in one hand. This whole tournament looked ready to fall apart at any time; very likely Guy would've killed Bison then and there had not Jedah appeared just in time to intervene and talk the ninja out of a fight. There were also ugly rumors floating around behind Demitri's back of Morrigan's attempted escapades. On the bright side, it seemed that Mason Storm was quite taken with Jill Valentine - a hopeless love case if one ever existed. Rumor also had it that Yun had been making passes at the ladies of Project Justice. Sakura tried to steady her nerves and wondered how she'd break this news to Ryu.   
  
Much to her surprise, the door to his room was open and upon peeping inside she saw that he was deep in meditation. Ryu sat on the floor, crosslegged and breathing evenly, obviously attempting to meditate. Sakura would have closed the door and waited outside had not a brief glint of light caught her eye. Peering in just a little deeper, she saw Dr. McGrath standing behind Ryu with a glittering blade in hand. Right before her astonished eyes, he drew back and all silently prepared to strike at Ryu's exposed neck, his aura flaring with deadly intent. "Ryu! Watch out!"   
  
Ryu's eyes snapped open; Sakura rushed past him and in an instant was laying into McGrath with repeated attacks, all of which he easily fended off. "How ... dare ... you ... try ... to ... hurt ... my ... Ryu ... Hadouken!" McGrath stopped the energy burst with his fist; Sakura was about to wind up for the Nekketsu version, but Ryu grabbed her from behind and pinned her to the wall, then muttered an apology to the doctor. Sakura could hardly believe her senses. "Ryu! That man tried to kill you!"   
  
"Doctor, I apologize on Sakura's behalf."   
  
McGrath sighed and threw the sword to one side of the room. "No harm done. Actually, Ryu was testing for a sixth-level black belt." When Sakura pulled a blank look, he explained in greater detail. "The _Goudan_ test involves being able to spiritually anticipate an attack. What I do is swing the sword at Ryu's neck, at the same time emitting a killing intent when I do that. Since the strike is silent, Ryu can only sense the attack by sensing my killing aura at that instant, and dodging successfully is an indication that he has indeed sensed it. It's just a little trick - nothing to it, really, I'm certain he would have successfully passed the test."   
  
"That's very flattering of you, sir," Ryu replied. He turned to Sakura. "Is there something you came to see me about?"   
  
Sakura, whose face had turned a deep shade of red, looked around the room before she spotted her bouquet of flowers. "Um, yeah. Actually, I just wanted to tell you that after this tournament, I'm really quitting the fighting circuit ... er, that is, I mean, I'm not really quitting, but, you know ..." She blushed madly, at the same time resentfully noting that McGrath, behind Ryu, was biting his lips hard. "Well, it's hard to say ... I mean, I have a life now - I don't mean to say that you don't, but - ah, forget it!" She ducked her head and stared at the floor, now so embarrassed that she wished she could simply melt into the ground.   
  
"'Your' Ryu?" McGrath ribbed, and Sakura fled from the room blushing madly, afraid that her face would burn up from embarrassment. Knowing McGrath, he'd never forget this one and at the same time somehow find ways to prevent her from forgetting, either. What in the world had she been thinking?   
  
Ryu scratched his head. "What was _that_ all about?"   
  


* * *

  
That night, the local karaoke bar was filled with World Collision contestants. The bar was a wide but low-lying building, filled with strobe lights and heavy oaken tables. It was strictly non-smoking (much to the dismay of Kenneth Feng) and poorly lit. To the back of the bar, a raised platform and a slew of the latest equipment formed the music stage proper, while alcohol stands lined both walls along either side. Sakura, Yin, and Karin Kanzuki gossipped off to one side, Haggar and Zangief arm-wrestled at the center table, and Sean Matsuda had already started a drinking contest against Balrog.   
  
As was normal, most of the fighter veterans had gathered to one side. Gen started off the discussion, glancing around the table. "Discover anything at all, Gill?"   
  
Gill, dressed in a neat tuxedo, shook his head sadly. "I cannot remember; my apologies to all. I know naught save that ominous signs lurk beyond our sight. But of us assembled here, know ye aught of this mysterious personage?"   
  
"Not a clue," Demitri replied flatly.   
  
"Me neither," Bison added.   
  
"I searched the Intergalactic Criminal Records and the civilian database," Captain Commando threw in. "Nothing."   
  
Rose held up a tarot card, revealing its face. "Some powerful force obscures my attempts to view the future. To me, everything is muted, and I see nothing at all."   
  
"A seer's trouble comes from meeting with eternal darkness," Jedah Dohma observed dryly.   
  
"So everyone's in the dark," Sagat noted, stating the obvious. "Wonderful - back to square zero. This is like running on a treadmill. Okay, let's pool our thoughts. What do we know about M. so far?"   
  
"She's probably a woman," Gen said.   
  
"She's probably very rich, in order to be able to finance something like this," Commando reasoned. "We know that the logistical trail deadens very quickly, and no corporation has been connected with the tournament, so a reasonable conclusion is that she's funding all of it out of her own pockets. Then, of course, there's the prize money - $300 million US is a lot, even after adjusting for inflation."   
  
"And of course, the most disturbing piece of the puzzle," Bison mentioned. "She offered the power of a diety as the prize."   
  
"What's so special about that?" Jedah wanted to know.   
  
"Bah, you and Gill, and probably a few others here, call yourselves gods," Bison sneered. "But let me ask you: could any of _you_ grant divine power to anyone?" When the only response was an uncomfortable silence, Bison forged ahead. "Whoever this M. is, she must certainly be very powerful in order to offer divine power as a tournament prize, as well as speak telepathically to every spectator in that stadium. More likely than not she is also the one who resurrected various fighters - such as myself - and blocks Rose's view of the future. Could any of you accomplish even one of those feats?" More uncomfortable silence.   
  
"The full moon comes in five nights," Rose said at last. "On that night, I could try to scry the future and enhance my own power for a short duration of time - then I might be able to break through the darkness surrounding my vision."   
  
"Best of luck," Gen wished. "In the meanwhile, why don't we do our own research? Gill, Bison, Jedah, Demitri - all of you should have extensive spy networks, as would the IDC, the Anglo-American governments, and Interpol. Why not put them to work?"   
  
"We did," Bison said heavily. "All of us. And you know what we found? Absolutely nothing." There were nods of agreement from all around the table on that one. "The logistical trail is either extremely well hidden or simply does not exist. Even the IDC's intelligence section hasn't found anything. I think we'll be forced to wait for Rose's report on this one - look, here comes the good doctor. You're late, Ernest."   
  
"Sorry about that, the airplane left without me," McGrath threw back good-naturedly. "What's with all the glum faces? You look like you swallowed a live frog, Demitri."   
  
"Just discussing what we know about M. - or rather, what we don't know, which is anything," Commando said. "Five nights from now the full moon rises and Rose will try to break through the darkness obscuring her vision - until then, we're pretty much stuck here. No one here has even the faintest semblance of a clue that M. didn't give us directly, unless you managed to find something?"   
  
McGrath spread his hands. "Nope, sorry. A very powerful force is behind this tournament, but you all knew that. What we don't know is what M. intends and why she has done what she has done to attain it. We don't even know who she is - and I have a sneaking suspicion that knowing her identity wouldn't help much anyways."   
  
"Not to mention - look out!" Warned in advance, Sagat dodged to one side and Jedah to the other; a moment later, Kikoken crashed heavily into the table swathed in flames. Her aura burst for a moment and the fire extinguished, then she jumped back up and launched a bolt of ice at Darrell. "Hey, watch where you're going!" Gen called out irritably. "Kids these days. Look, Ernest - one of your friends has commandeered the karaoke bar."   
  
They all turned to look; indeed, Blake Wallis was atop the stage and he rapped experimentally upon the microphone. "Hello? Is this thing working? Alright, what song does everyone want tonight? Women, especially the beautiful ones, get priority." He ducked gamely as Juni flung a commando dagger his way. "Let's hear the requests now. Wha - you want 'Suteki da Ne,' Sakura? Okay, but no complaining when my melodious Japanese grates on your ears, alright?" He found the correct soundtrack and began to sing in a low, soulful voice. McGrath winced; Blake's Japanese was truly awful.   
  
At Blake's invitation, Karin, Ibuki, Remy, and Mitsukake joined him on stage. The cacophony that ensued forced half of the bar's occupants to clap their hands over their ears. Boiling point came during the solo that Blake screeched out, prompting McGrath to compare his voice unfavorably against fingernails dragged across a chalkboard. "... and to say that I love you. Weave the threads of life and see - isn't it beautiful?"   
  
"You sound like a raven with a sore throat," Cody sneered.   
  
Blake halted in midnote and snapped back, "'Tis better to sound than to look!"   
  
Cody shook a fist at the _Phantom_. "If you weren't the best friend of the devil himself," and here he nodded at McGrath, "I'd be more than happy to teach you a lesson."   
  
"And why should that stop you?" Blake demanded, jumping down from the stage and marching straight up to Cody. "Hit me with your best shot."   
  
Cody swung; Blake dodged to the side and responded with a solid punch into the stomach. For an instant they were attacking each other hammer and tongs, but only for an instant. Guy and Alex together pulled Cody back, while Blake wound up for a strike that never came; Samantha and Guile locked his arms behind him. A moment later, Haggar had stepped between the two brawlers and glared at each one in turn. "What in the name of reason has gotten into you two?" he half-shouted. "Well? Answer me!" They both wilted under his fierce gaze; when Haggar turned his back, Blake and Cody shot glares at each other.   
  
While some semblance of order was being restored, Kenneth Feng sidled up next to Kirina at an otherwise vacant table. "Hey, 'Rina. Say, you want to go out tomorrow with me? Cigarette?" He offered one to Kirina.   
  
"I believe that this is a non-smoking bar," she replied. "Thanks for the offer, though." An awkward silence followed, until she glanced at him again. "Say, Kenny ... how did you get involved with Uncle Ken, anyways?"   
  
"I - it's a long story, and a boring one," he said dismissively. "I'd much rather hear about you. You're really the daughter of the legendary Ryu, huh? You must've breezed through the fighting circuit, huh?"   
  
"What?! Not at all!" Kirina replied indignantly. "Being his daughter isn't easy in the least. If anything, people were always expecting more of me than I could deliver, while at the same time calling me 'the daughter of Ryu the warrior' rather than 'Kirina the warrior.' I haven't had an easy time at all in the fighting circuit! Every time I go out there and fight, I always feel as though I'm fighting _against_ my father and all his accomplishments. You know, all I really want is to discover my own identity, but very few people are willing to let me!"   
  
"Oh." Kenneth stared at his cigarette for a moment. "You know what my father was? He was a head scientist for Shadowlaw. He pioneered the Shadow technology that's all the rage these days. He even hid the complete set as bionic implants in my body. And in the end, it didn't do him a bit of good. I don't remember the incident anymore, but I know that Bison had him exterminated, him and my mother. Funny, isn't it? I don't miss him at all. He was always busy with work, too busy to make time for my mother or myself. I've had to put up with some serious bull in my life because of decisions that he made. Be glad you have a father who cares for you - Mr. Masters is like a father to me, the dad I never had. But you won't realize the absence of a parent's love until you've gone far too long without it."   
  
At another table, Ryu randomly glanced back and saw Kenneth deep in conversation with Kirina. "Is that boy making another pass at my daughter?" he asked stiffly. "If he tries anything funny, the next words out of my mouth will be 'Hadouken,' and guess where it'll be directed?"   
  
"Calm down, Ryu," Guy said cheerfully, clapping a hand on Ryu's back. "I've little doubt that she could lay a total smackdown on Kenny if he tried anything funny. Besides, Kirina's old enough to make decisions for herself; now Cody over there, on the other hand ... hey, doc, how's life with the IDC?"   
  
McGrath sat down at the table directly opposite Guy, glancing around to include Ken and Ryu in the conversation. "Some things never change. The IDC's been busy as an ant colony arranging security for this tournament, and I'm the liaison within the tournament itself. But the BEATs have specific orders to let fighters through - like the ones watching us."   
  
"Wha -?! What do you -" Ken, Ryu, and Guy all glanced around themselves. "Is it who I think it is?" Ryu asked, a lump suddenly forming in his throat.   
  
"No, not _him_. Feel carefully - you should be able to discern three distinctive auras close together, none of which are Ryu's." McGrath leaned back into the chair. "I wouldn't worry, though; I doubt they'll try anything, at least not right now. Just pretend that I said something funny."   
  
Watching from the rafters high above where he was securely concealed from sight, one of the mysterious figures glanced down at Guy, Ken, and Ryu laughing. "That's the fakest laugh I've ever seen," he commented dryly.   
  
"Shall we?" a second voice asked.   
  
"Not right now. Wait until they disperse to return to the hotel - we'll divert them, then strike halfway along the route. Let's go prepare an ambush - it wouldn't do to let this golden opportunity slip by now, would it?" So saying, all silently the three mysterious men stole out of the bar and went to prepare the battleground. 


	6. Match I: Darkstalkers' Alliance vs Neo C...

**Match 1-1: Darkstalkers' Alliance vs. Neo-Commando Squad**   
  


* * *

**Author's Notes:** I've updated the website, editing McGrath's Hell X into the Hell Press - didn't realize that he didn't have that move for the longest time. Also, at this time a tournament bracket and an art page have been posted, as popularly demanded. If I have the time or you have the desire, I'll also add a chronology of events leading up to the tournament. Again, be sure to note which team you believe will win the tournament.   
  
**Kikoken:** Heh, Guile does hate Bison. (sadistic laughter) Erm, that wasn't me. (runs away)   
  
**Blue-Eyes Knight:** Hook you up? Hmm, I think I have the perfect match ... ohhh Poison ...! (runs away)   
  
**Chan Yoruyamatiha:** Just a brief note, Suteki da Ne isn't a rap song at all but rather a beautiful love song - or at least it would be, if someone else were singing it. As for you and Hiryu - well, read the chapter, heh heh heh. (runs away while Chan is reading)   
  
**DeNice:** This story got demoted to the rank of anime movie?!?! Nooo!!!! (runs away)   
  


* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Two days have passed _   
  
Jin Saotome rapped experimentally on the microphone. He was seated high in a box overlooking all of Osaka Stadium, a clear commanding view of the crowd right in front of him. A dozen screens from all sides showed the battlefield far away in Greece, a battlefield that would soon be brought home to the contestants in Osaka via holoprojector. To his left, Kyosuke studied the screens and the crowd with an artistically neutral expression, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "We're up. Let's do it."   
  
"Right." Jin turned around to face the cameras; as the lights brightened on each one, he pasted a smile onto his face. "Welcome back to the World Collision tournament, I'm Jin Saotome ..."   
  
"And I'm Kyosuke Kagami. Glad to have you with us tonight. It is currently two PM local time. Whether you're watching from a jam-packed stadium or from the comfort of a home setting, the next match is about to begin. It is seven AM at the Greek island of Thira, where today the Darkstalkers' Alliance will be pitted against the Neo Commando Squad. Jin, what are the prospects for this fight?"   
  
The camera focused on Jin. "Well, Kyosuke, today we are seeing two very well-qualified teams - perhaps the two best teams in the tournament - facing off against each other. On the Neo Commando Squad, Commando and Strider form the single most deadly pair in the tournament. They've developed some very effective team-based traps and techniques for use in the tournament and Ruby Heart is no slouch either. On the Darkstalker side, all three members are excellent warriors who enjoy the experience advantage thanks to their longevity. Overall I'd say this match is strictly 50-50 and will boil down to the level of teamwork that each side shows. The match is about to begin ... let's go to our roving correspondent. Alia, how's it like at Thira?"   
  
The Reploid Alia, painted in bright colors that shone in the morning sun, held onto a microphone in one hand while attempting to keep a set of goggles on her head with the other. "Well, Jin, it's very windy even this early in the morning. If we can get a panoramic shot - yes, that's good ..." The camera angle shifted to take in a view of the island. "... Thira is a beautiful locale. Archaeologists have long suspected that Thira was home to the ancient civilization of Atlantis, but all that we have left from that time are a few miscellaneous ruins. As a battlefield, the island is fairly low and wide, so there will be a lot of room for manuevering. The referees have already arrived - you can Jedah and Gill over there, past my shoulder, they're marking out the boundaries of the battlefield. The earth here is fairly hard-packed, no risk of visibility loss anywhere. Since M. expects the hosted fights to be fairly dangerous, no civilians will be allowed on the island other than mobile film crews and announcers such as myself."   
  
"Thanks, Alia. Here's the big moment, everyone, the teams have arrived!"   
  
Stepping off from a transport boat, Captain Commando tested the air experimentally. Behind him, Ruby Heart crouched and adjusted her bootstraps. Strider brought up the rear doing nothing, only standing still and looking very intimidating. From the other side of the island, Demitri strode to the center of the island flanked by Morrigan and Donovan. The cameras zoomed in as the teams met in the middle of the island, Gill and Jedah also there. Besides a few blades of grass and the ubiquitous broken column or ruined tile, Thira was mostly just sand-colored, compact earth. The island itself stretched a mile in every direction from where the teams had met.   
  
His long blond hair ruffled by the breeze, Gill boomed, "Neo Commando Squad, identify your tactical leader."   
  
"That would be me," Commando returned.   
  
The referees nodded, then Jedah turned to the other side. "Darkstalkers' Alliance, identify your tactical leader."   
  
"I am the leader," Demitri said, bowing to the referees. Jedah bowed in return, then at his signal the other contestants cleared out a space in the middle of the ruin, Ruby Heart's boots crunching on the shattered tiles. Jedah and Gill arranged themselves on opposite sides of the contestants. That left only Demitri and Commando in the center, face to face.   
  
"We fight at last, lord of vampires."   
  
"You are quite strong, Commando. Care to be my servant?"   
  
"I serve justice alone."   
  
"Justice - a meaningless term used to exonerate the weak. Fear not, misguided mortal, I shall cure you of that misconception."   
  
Tense silence ensued, but only for a moment. Without warning, a brilliant light shone from above covering the entire island, and then all present heard M.'s voice again. "Begin!"   
  
Slightly shocked, at first neither contestant did anything, but Commando was wearing shades and as such responded far better to the flash of light than Demitri. Demitri only barely parried Commando's first kick before impact. Then, as Commando lashed out with a powerful right hook aimed at the head, the vampire lord's fighting abilities also swung into gear. Demitri blocked high and struck back in the same fluid motion; Commando, who had anticipated the attack, responded by rolling backwards out of range. Demitri launched a flaming bat after him; Commando blocked the attack but was knocked back down regardless, his armored suit making a hard impact on the broken tiles. Sneering, Demitri glided forward ...   
  
Kyosuke shook his head. "One would think that he'd really know better than to fall for a trick like that."   
  
"Be that as it may, Kyosuke, I think that Commando actually has the experience advantage in this battle." Jin studied a hologram of the fight. Demitri was nearly atop Commando. "Belial Aensland was the only opponent whom Demitri had to face who was of Commando's caliber, but that was more than a century ago. I don't find it surprising that Demitri fell for the trick - but he won't fall for it again." Even as he finished, Commando dodged to the side, causing Demitri to miss an attack; a moment later, Ruby Heart rushed into the battlefield glowing with cerulean fire and impacted solidly on Demitri. Commando followed up with the Captain Kick, sailing toward his foe and landing an additional attack.   
  
"So far it seems that neither team has the advantage," Kyosuke observed. "The Neo Commando Squad has scored more hits, but Demitri now knows what he's facing. Let's get a second opinion on this - Master Gen?"   
  
"I agree with you, boy," Gen commented from his own place in the bleachers. "The Neo Commando Squad will eventually lose a battle of attrition, so they have to go for a quick victory. It only remains to be seen if they realize this yet."   
  
Apparently their leader did; Commando drove in hard at Demitri, at the same time calling Ruby Heart in for another assist attack. He jumped at Demitri, and as predicted the vampire lord responded with his uppercut attack, a flying bat spin. Jin winced as he saw the cape cut into Commando. "Apparently Commando wasn't expecting Demitri to be able to move quite that fast. But now that Demitri's in mid-air, he'll be exposed to Ruby Heart's attack." Exactly as foretold, a stream of water burst beneath Demitri and knocked him head over heels tumbling backwards. He righted himself just as he fell to the tiled ground; Commando was prevented from following up on his advantage by the appearance of Donovan's sword Dhylec, which covered Demitri with a Thunder Saber defense. After a moment, Commando took advantage of the lull to call out Ruby again, this time to provide him with a power-up orb.   
  
"The Neo-Commando Squad is showing much better teamwork than the Darkstalkers' Alliance so far," Jin observed. "Commando has Demitri in a bad position and they both know it. Simply put, Demitri cannot manuever with his back to a wall like this. He has to escape somehow - yes, he did it! Pulled a Demon Billion on Commando and now the roles are reversed! Commando isn't fazed, though - this fight is far from over. Watch, he's manuevering Demitri into a position where Ruby Heart will have a clean shot at him."   
  
"I doubt Demitri will fall for that trick," Kyosuke commented. "Commando himself is concentrating too much on his opponent and not enough on his surroundings. Yes, here comes Dhylec again ... well, Commando got really lucky there, he was totally unaware of Dhylec's approach and that chance Captain Collider saved him. Demitri is in a better position, though."   
  
"Yes, and he's begun to lock down Commando's options." Jin glanced at the crowd. "If Demitri can wear down Commando enough for a full-power assault, then Commando will be finished. It looks real bad for - _did you see that, ladies and gentlemen?!_" While Demitri had attempted another Bat Spin, Commando had countered with an attack of his own. The bright flash of light was all the warning that the vampire lord had before Commando's enormous Captain Sword nearly impaled him; as it was, the attack brought Demitri into the tiles, hard. Nor was that all; even before the sword had faded, Commando was already withdrawing from the battlefield and Ruby Heart taking his place. Before Demitri could recover his wits, an enormous pirate ship materialized out of thin air and spiked the unlucky vampire on its cruelly sharpened metallic bow. Donovan, entering to assist, was knocked back out of the battlefield; a moment later, the ship raked Demitri with several volleys of cannonballs, the last set blasting him loose off the pirate ship's bow and into a stone column. Hard. "What an amazing performance by the Neo Commando teammates! Taking two super attacks at once - Demitri's going to be licking his own blood up after that performance. He has to switch out, and he has to do it now!"   
  
As if on cue, Demitri bowed and faded out, gliding backwards; a moment later, Donovan jumped into the battlefield wielding his enormous blade. "How're the teams doing, Alia?"   
  
"Well, Jin, Commando is certainly in much better shape than his counterpart from the other team. Objectively Demitri is the stronger fighter, if not by much, but as it is he really took a severe thrashing from that delayed attack chain. It's open to question whether or not he'll return to the fight. Back to you, Jin."   
  
"Thanks, Alia. Right now Ruby Heart seems to be holding up extraordinarily well, and we've yet to see Morrigan make a battlefield appearance for striker assistance. On the other hand, Hiryu is certainly doing all he can to give Ruby a hand."   
  
"Yes," Kyosuke added, "it's almost as if Donovan is facing off against two separate opponents. Let's take a closer look at the battle." As they turned, Donovan rushed in and scored a single hit on Ruby Heart, but was unable to follow up on his advantage when Hiryu threw a mighty slash that he barely avoided. Left off balance, Donovan then took Ruby's flaming shoulder tackle head-on in his chest and flew backwards. He picked himself up, this time looking decidedly more cautious. Ruby closed in while calling Strider again; the ninja took advantage of the wind to propel him to his target destination, right above Donovan where four separate illusions dropped down launching sliding kick. Unfortunately, Morrigan appeared in that instant and launched upwards with one bladed wing. Their assists collided; a moment later, Strider was outprioritized and knocked backwards bleeding through his uniform. The presence of both strikers, however, gave Captain Commando the opportunity to return and unbalance the equation once more. He struck the ground with his fist; a moment later, a gigantic burst of electricity exploded into the air and sent both Donovan and Morrigan flying backwards. Ruby, trying to catch up with Donovan, failed to notice Demitri's entrance and was hit by a bat-shaped projectile.   
  
"That particular encounter cost the Darkstalkers' Alliance more than the Neo Commando Squad," Gen noted. "Demitri needs to rest and recover his strength - just using that single assist took much out of him. Strider will not return immediately but he is certainly still a force to be reckoned with."   
  
"Agreed, the encounter may have bought the Darkstalkers a short-term advantage but they won't keep it in the long run once Hiryu recovers." Kyosuke consulted a timepiece. "Well, this battle's been going on for a good twenty minutes with no let up in the action. Donovan and Morrigan aren't using their immediate advantage, though; Donovan _has_ to call out Morrigan for assists if he wants to gain an advantage over Ruby Heart. He's keeping up a good deal of pressure on her right now since no striker action is forthcoming, but again that advantage won't last. Oh, there goes his position - nice Supremation from Ruby there."   
  
Donovan picked himself off the ground, snarling and wiping away a trickle of blood from his mouth. He was irritated now; calling in Morrigan for an assist, he rushed Ruby Heart and attempted to take her down. Unfortunately, Morrigan had misinterpreted his signal; as Donovan leapt high into the air, Morrigan did likewise, clipping him with a Shadow Blade that tore through his robes. The two of them fell back to the ground in a tangled heap, only that they never got there. An oversized treasure materialized at Ruby Heart's feet and she kicked it open; a swarm of ghosts appeared and mobbed both unfortunate fighters. Nor was that all. "Go, Strider!" Ruby called, at the same time boarding a phantom canoe and sailing backwards on air. A moment later, Strider entered the battlefield and with him came a swarm of angry mechanical beasts, overwhelming the Darkstalkers in one brutal stampede. For Donovan, it was lights out on impact, and Morrigan scarcely fared any better. As a battered Morrigan tried desperately to fend off Hiryu's attacks, Jedah slipped onto the battlefield and carried Donovan to a waiting medical squad.   
  
"One down for the Darkstalkers," Jin noted. "That was a truly awful miscommunication that occurred right there, and the Neo Commando Squad took full advantage of it. I think this fight is winding down; Morrigan and Demitri are both too battered to stand much of a chance, while all three members of the Neo Commando squad are still fresh. The Darkstalkers are finally getting their act together - very nice cover fire from Demitri right there - but it's too late for them. Okay, Morrigan and Demitri are switching out, probably the best move they could make in this circumstance."   
  
"Now this is very interesting, Jin. Hiryu's a skilled fighter and ideally wants to get in close for a devastating combo attack, while Demitri has an interest in keeping him far away. Hiryu moves more quickly, though - nice assist by Commando right there - he's definitely wearing Demitri down. Here comes Commando again with the assist - _great_ manuever by Hiryu, teleporting right next to Demitri! Looks like Hiryu-san is about to -" Kyosuke abruptly shut his mouth and instead stared. They all did, stunned for a moment into uneasy silence. "... Hiryu-chan, excuse me ..." Kyosuke stammered at length, feeling his cheeks turn red.   
  
For indeed, Hiryu was standing next to Demitri and had changed for both better and worse. Better, because Demitri had contacted him and transformed him into a woman, thus improving his looks immensely. From the sidelines, Ruby Heart whistled - Hiryu'd have no trouble winning a pageant with his - her - whatever! - newly acquired looks. Worse, because next moment Demitri seized Hiryu by the neck and was feeding on his opponent's blood. The attack lasted only for a moment, then Demitri threw Hiryu to the side and wiped his lips in one fluid motion. There was a puff of smoke and Hiryu stumbled to the dirty tiles - but at least he was back to his normal self.   
  
"Oy ... where's the move analyst? Mr. Q, what in the name of reason was _that_?!"   
  
The speakers shifted over to Q's monotonous voice. "That move is the Midnight Bliss. It is a well-known fact that Demitri only drinks female blood, so he changes his opponent into a woman and feasts himself on her blood. It's, uh, one of the most ... innovative ... techniques I've ever seen. Back to you, Jin."   
  
"Oh, okay. Thanks, Q. There you have it. Looks like Hiryu's mad now, though. Look, he just summoned his Options - this is the well-known and hated Ouroboros technique. Demitri really has no choice but to turtle until the Ouroboros wear off. Still, he might be able to turn the tables with - yes, here comes Morrigan with a projectile assist - and here comes Commando with another. Oh, look look look! What a manuever! Strider teleported right above Morrigan and Demitri! Look at him pound both of them at the same time with the Ouroboros! And here comes Commando with yet another assist! Hiryu's gotten both of them! The Neo Commando Squad has won the match!"   
  
While the medical teams entered to retrieve the motionless bodies of Morrigan and Demitri, Hiryu bowed to both as a offering of tribute to a match well fought. A moment later, Gill had seized Hiryu's wrist and held it up high, his voice booming through Osaka Stadium. "Announcing the victors of Round 1-1: the Neo Commando Squad! Congratulations on a battle well-fought!" And with that, the crowd went wild.   
  


* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Two days have passed _   
  
"What do you mean, you can't find them?" Captain Commando demanded.   
  
It was late at night and McGrath spread his hands. "I mean exactly what I said. They're not in any of the local hospitals near Greece, nor have any of them returned to Japan. I double checked the intelligence. The only possibility left is if they returned to Makai - the intelligence reports are still coming in, but the preliminary results aren't good, either."   
  
Commando shook his head, confused. "I wanted to stop by and debrief with Demitri, but it's like he just plumb disappeared!" He paced back and forth nervously. As usual, it was nighttime and the veterans were again at their table, having gathered for supper and then fallen to small talk. All of the regular faces were present, barring Demitri. "I refuse to believe that it would take him more than two days to simply regain consciousness. Do either of you know anything?" Jedah and Gill shook their heads vigorously. "Ah ... Miss Rose, I apologize, but would you be willing to search for them?"   
  
"Not a problem," Rose replied. "In fact, it's about time ... well, I'll be seeing you boys." So saying, she stood up and glided out of the room. "Later!" Bison called.   
  
_I know an old temple in a park nearby where Dadallent and McGrath fought their great battle three years ago. Even now, residual energy from that fight still lingers. I can tap into that energy and it will certainly help me in my attempt to pierce the darkness._ Rose frowned. Never before had anything hid her vision so completely and she had a nagging suspicion that regardless of the power she could call, her sight would still be obscured. _Only one way to know._ "Taxi!"   
  
Twenty minutes later, she was standing outside of the temple. It was a low-lying, squat structure enclosed by a stone wall twice her height. The gate was open but blocked by a sign informing passersby that visiting hours had ended some time ago. Rose ignored the warning and entered the temple grounds. Old stone lanterns, now extinguished, dotted the interior. There was about a fifty meter distance from the gate to the temple structure proper; Rose walked down the cobbled path, her heels clicking on the stones. As she suspected, the energies of the fight three years ago still lingered, and in greater quantities than she remembered. The whole temple premises, in fact, seemed to be permeated with it. _There! That is where McGrath nearly killed Dadallent, missing his attack by less than centimeter. And over there! A fireball war occurred there. And here, where I stand - the Psychisaber almost found its mark. Had either of them been but a trifle slower, one would not now be present in this tournament._ Rose stepped up to the screen doors of the temple, shaking her head in bewilderment. _So much energy that I can actually read the movements of the battle as they occurred ..._   
  
She quietly slid the screen door open. The temple looked well-maintained; in the brightness of the moonlight, she could easily discern the waxed wooden floors and clean whitewashed walls. Whatever McGrath and Dadallent had done three years ago on the outside, they'd fought the climax of their battle in the expansive space of the temple interior. Here ... yes ... Dadallent's Deadly Edge and McGrath's MAXIMUM Mayhem Rampage had collided, neither winning in the end. While that particular battle had ended in stalemate, Rose intended to reap the benefits. Plenty of energy here. She slid the screen door shut, plunging the interior into gloomy grayness. There, alone in the temple, she sat down and composed herself.   
  
Only she wasn't alone.   
  
Rose's eyes snapped open and she looked around wildly, channeling a bit of Soul Power. A globe of energy instantly rose from her palms and hovered in the air, illuminating the temple with an unnatural blue aura. Then she saw them. Shadows without form and only a vaguely humanoid shape, masses of blackness, converging slowly upon her from all directions. They oozed out of every crack and crevice in the temple structure, each one a slinking mass the size of a house cat. Only their eyes shone, a bright yellow that reeked of menace. When one of them laid a hand on her leg, Rose felt an involuntary shudder race through her. The creature's touch chilled to the bone. Rose channelled some energy and the creature was jolted back violently, collapsing half a meter away. Only for a moment, though; with the same inexorable stride reserved for death, the creature rose and again began to shamble towards her.   
  
Rose bolted for the screen door, her mind racing wildly. _What in all creation are these things?! Did they form out of that battle, too - a combination of McGrath's willpower and Dadallent's emnity?_ Rose fried another creature that brushed her leg, yet even as that one fell two more took its place. Shuddering, she knocked them away with great effort and stumbled towards the screen door. Calling a great deal of power, she blasted one of the creatures and it collapsed into a shapeless puddle, steaming. To Rose's horror, right before her very eyes the creature began to reassemble itself and rise again. _No! Even with all my power, it cannot be -!_ More of the creatures tugged on her, eagerly swarming over her legs; she felt them go numb with coldness. She tried to fend off as many as she could while still heading for the door.   
  
Which, for some reason, seemed to receding from her. Was the distance increasing, or was it only a trick of the mind? Rose's breaths came in short, shallow gasps now. There were too many of the persistent buggers and they swarmed all over her. First she went down to her knees, then to her arms, still reaching for the elusive door. Her entire body was covered by the creatures and she felt terribly cold, almost frozen. She was far too spent to attempt pulling any more of the energy in the room into some semblance of defense. Rose closed her eyes even as her vision began to swim. Come to think of it, she felt strangely peaceful ... almost as if sinking into a deep sleep after a very tiring day. The creatures no longer felt chilly, only cool and almost comforting. Rose sighed, contented.   
  
"Begone!"   
  
Bright light inundated the room, flooding the whole temple with such luminescence that Rose could only see white even though her eyes were shut fast. The light flooded her body with welcome warmth. As it did so, the creatures swarming over her scuttled off, dismayed; Rose opened her eyes and sat up, seeing to her astonishment that they were melting into nothingness, the searing light burning them away. As it was, she could barely see even that, so intense was the light that her eyes stung. She put up an arm to ward off the brilliance; the light gradually faded away to the level of a soft, comfortable glow. Rose blinked; she stood up, and upon glancing around she saw that she was not alone. Another woman was also in the temple building, one who was short of Rose's height by a good fifteen meters and yet still shone with a powerful aura.   
  
She was dressed in pure white and cerulean colors, her clothes flowing naturally around her body. Her brilliant azure tunic trailed to the floor and then some, a silver shirt worn beneath it. Her hair was blonde and neatly tied back, yet still cascaded down to her waist and beyond like a golden waterfall. She wore a pair of shining earrings, a bracelet on each wrist, and a small necklace that clung to her neck. Most remarkable of all were the pair of angel wings that sprouted from her back, not ethereal and yet not quite material either. The mysterious woman had folded up her hands as if praying and as Rose finished her assessment the woman bowed, eyes closed. "Greetings. I apologize if I startled you; my name is Regina, and I apologize for arriving so belatedly."   
  
"N - No, your timing could not have been better." Rose bowed also. "My name is Rose. Are you ... I mean, do you know what ... what those creatures were?"   
  
Regina opened her eyes, both of which shone like sapphires. "Assassins, I believe. Someone wished to have you eliminated."   
  
A sickening suspicion developed in Rose's mind. "M., no doubt. She wants me out of the way ... she doesn't want me to guess at the future. But ... why?!"   
  
Regina laid a comforting hand on Rose's shoulder. "I wish I knew, Rose. Come, let us return to your friends - there is no need to peer at what is to be. Are you well?" Without waiting for an answer, Regina's hand glowed faintly and Rose felt vitality race through her veins. At the same time, a portal materialized in front of them and Regina stepped towards it. "The night is long, and we have plenty of time to converse." With a friendly smile, Regina indicated the portal; Rose stepped through it, Regina followed a moment later, and the portal sealed itself shut, erasing all evidence that anyone had been there. 


	7. A Tale of Two Sisters

**A Tale of Two Sisters**   
  


* * *

**Author's Notes:** A chronology of events has been added to the website. The chronology explains in cursory detail most of what has happened leading up to the tournament and hopefully provides some much-needed background information. Also, I've coded the tourney bracket page so that you can submit your guess on who you think will win this tournament. So get those entries rolling!   
  
**Noctorro:** You really think so? One of the biggest problems I have with this fic is trying to flesh out every character - no easy task when dealing with 50+ of them. So, unfortunately, only those who are really crucial to the plot are going to get any sort of exposure. But I do hope that you enjoy reading the story.   
  


* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
About the same time _   
  
"You know, Ryu, ten P.M. isn't meant for training," Ken Masters grumbled as he hauled himself over a large rock, landing into one of the local parks. The grass here was green and luxuriously thick, the cherry trees in full bloom and pink flower petals scattered everywhere. Overhead, the full moon provided bright illumination of the park grounds. The whole setting was bathed in a surreal blue glow. To Ken's right, Guy scanned the park grounds with a practiced eye before nodding his approval. "This is good ground," was all he said before adopting a fighting stance.   
  
Ryu adjusted his red headband as well as his wristguards. All three of them wore their respective combat uniforms, making themselves easy to distinguish in the moonlight. "Sagat is still at the restaurant and Kirina already trained. I had to make time for you two somehow. Shall we?"   
  
"Wait." The warning came from Guy. "That ominous sensation ... do you feel it? There's danger around ... more than one. Dr. McGrath warned us of three assailants who waited in the dark. Perhaps they will show their faces tonight?"   
  
Ken frowned. Now that Guy mentioned it, he could feel an unsettling presence also. While his spiritual senses weren't as developed as Ryu's or Guy's, it was plainly obvious that whatever had been at the bar two nights ago was here. He suddenly felt vulnerable. _Pah, look at yourself, Ken. Guile would split his sides laughing if he saw you now. Nobody defeats the great Ken Masters._   
  
As if on cue, three shapes emerged from the shadows, all three of them wearing karate _gi_s, and all three of them masked. Their leader wore a tan uniform, the man to his left wore a pale green version, and the one on the right wore a dark green outfit. Each one strode slowly towards the warriors, covering the ground at a fixed, steady pace. When there was only a meter's seperation between the man in tan and Ryu, they stopped and crossed their arms. For a long, tense moment during which Ken scarcely breathed, no one said anything. Then the silence broke.   
  
"Hadouken!"   
  
Ryu and Ken dodged to the side; the warrior in tan launched a blazing energy projectile which soared through the space where Ryu had been but a moment before. Guy, more accustomed to seeing fireballs and certainly less surprised by them, launched himself through the air in a somersault. He unfurled at the height of the jump and came down with a powerful elbow strike, doubtlessly intending to hit the attacker's neck. He never made it.   
  
"Shoryuken!"   
  
Guy tumbled backwards, blood streaming out of his mouth as the tan warrior's fist smashed through his jaw. The classic rising uppercut of Ansatsuken had caught him squarely in a vulnerable position. Ryu and Ken stopped only to trade looks of surprise, but there was no time to think. The man in light green singled out Guy as his opponent and his companion in dark green did the same towards Ken. That left Ryu to deal with the fighter wearing tan.   
  
_He uses the Ansatsuken style of combat,_ Ryu perceived as he traded blows with the man. _I've seen this particular style before - Akuma's? No, it lacks the power and precision that characterize Akuma._ Haivng overcome his initial shock, Ryu was rapidly discovering that his opponent wasn't so formidable after all. He easily dodged another Hadouken and threw a lunging kick that clipped his opponent's shoulder. _That voice ... where have I heard it before?_ When his opponent rolled safely to the ground and launched another fireball, Ryu decided that he'd save the questions for later. _Another Ansatsuken fighter ... most intriguing ..._   
  
Ken, for his part, was having more problems. An attempt to strike from the air had been solidly countered by a rising knee straight into his solar plexus; Ken landed hard with a gasp, all the wind knocked out of him. His opponent followed with a straight punch that collapsed into an elbow strike when Ken blocked the fist. Snarling, Ken retaliated with a powerful Shoryuken that tore through his opponent's shirt and left the man bleeding behind his mask. The advantage was momentary, as the man recovered more quickly than Ken expected and retaliated with a pair of merciless knee strikes. Ken rolled back and tried to get some air. _A Muay Thai fighter, no doubt. Haven't faced one since losing the tournament to Sagat five years ago. Whoever he is, this guy's good ... but I'm still better._ He rushed in; the man in dark green swung an elbow at shoulder height, only to clip empty air as Ken rolled along the ground. Cherry petals scattered every which way; Ken burst off the ground with another mighty Shoryuken, this one impacting solidly in his opponent's chest.   
  
More cherry petals scattered as Guy exchanged blows with his attacker. His Miracle Slam was countered by a flying Triangle kick, while attempting to rush his opponent down proved futile when he ended up eating a chain of swift attacks. Guy shook his face clear of blood; that single motion nearly cost him, as his opponent covered the distance between them with remarkable speed and launched a flying kick. Guy ducked; as his opponent passed overhead, Guy sprang off the ground, caught his foe, and planted the man in dark green into the ground, hard. His opponent recovered quickly and tried to rush him; with some surprise, Guy finally discovered what was troubling him. _This man uses the Bushin style of combat - but I thought that only Maki and myself still practiced it ...?_ Guy dodged to the side; before his foe could recover, he laid into his opponent with the Marathon Barrage, striking viciously at his enemy's chin and chest. The attack ended with a powerful flying kick that sent the man crumpled into a heap at the feet of the tan warrior. At the same time, Ken Masters announced "Shoryuken!" and the man in dark green also rolled backwards to land next to his companion.   
  
The tan warrior snarled and cupped his hands, flames bursting from them a moment later. As Guy glanced to his right, Ryu did the same. His eyes narrowed, taking on a calculating aspect. _The moment they strike, I'll rush in and end this fight._ He tensed up, noting that Ken was doing the same. Near the feet of the man wearing tan, the two assailants dressed in green stirred and sank back into fighting stances. The man in tan brought his hands back just a bit further. It was, Guy realized, the same movement that had always given away when Ryu was about to launch a projectile.   
  
"Ashura ..." The tan-clad warrior whispered.   
  
"Shinkuu ..." Ryu's hands were glowing more brightly than ever.   
  
_"Hadouken!"_ At the same instant, both men launched their deadly energy projectiles. Ryu's took the form of a mighty blast of white light, a single continuous stream of energy that poured forth from his palms. The tan warrior released a gigantic sphere of flames the size of his whole body. Their two attacks collided in midair, but only for a moment; at that instant, the sphere of flames split apart and Ryu's beam cannon of a projectile continued onwards. There was no time to dodge; the man wearing tan took the attack head-on and an explosion of cherry petals obscured the sight of all present. When the dust subsided, all three of the men had been laid flat on the ground, the fight obviously knocked out of them.   
  
"Time to get us some answers," Ken growled. He stepped up to his opponent and laid a hand on the mask. All three were still conscious, but the fight had already ended. Ken tore the mask off in one swift motion. "What the - you're alive?!"   
  
"This cannot be ..." Guy whispered as he removed the mask of his assailant.   
  
For Ryu, there was only a moment of stunned silence. Now that the masks had come off, he recognized all three of the attackers. They all did. The man in tan gazed back at him with intense eyes, but devoid of any hint of malice. Rather, those eyes shone with pride and satisfaction. He was balding and wore a thick beard. The man in bright green had long, wild hair, while the third fighter had tied his back into a ponytail. "Master Gouken ... Master Zeku ... Master Hibiki ... all of you are still alive? But how?!"   
  
Gouken, for indeed it was him, sat up and smiled. "I don't know either. I awoke one morning and realized that I was still alive - called back, perhaps, for some purpose. But ... heh, look at you, Ryu, and you too, Ken. You've both grown so much ..."   
  
Ryu sat down heavily upon the ground. "But ... all three of you, alive at this time?! This just gets stranger and stranger ... how did you know we were here?"   
  
"We were led here," Go Hibiki answered. "Perhaps it was intuition, but it felt as if we were guided here, to you. It was a good fight," he said, and winked. "We heard about this tournament less than a week ago, and we figured that we'd find you around here."   
  
"Been a long time, master," Guy said, sitting down.   
  
"No, you are the master, Guy," Zeku replied, fondly ruffling Guy's hair. "You beat me fairly in that fight. How has the world been?"   
  
"Actually, I wouldn't know either," Guy admitted. "Two years after you were murdered, I too was killed fighting against Shadowlaw. I myself have only recently returned, knowing nothing except that I was dead but now am alive. We both have plenty of catching up to do."   
  
"This is too much for my poor brain," Ken commented. "Maybe we ought to ask McGrath - he'd surely find a way to explain everything."   
  
"I've seen him here," Gouken stated. "Does he still train as hard as ever?"   
  
Ryu nodded. "Certainly ... Dr. McGrath intensified his training after your fight with Akuma. Ken and I both asked him to continue our training, except he refused. He said that he had joined this organization, the IDC, and did not have time to continue our training. He told us to find our own ways; as luck would have it, after hearing nearly nothing about him for the past ten years, he's also participating in this tournament. You would not believe how incredibly skilled he has become." Ryu winked at Gouken.   
  
"Some things never change ..." Gouken muttered to himself. "Eh, who's that?"   
  
Ryu eyed the figure running towards them. "My daughter."   
  
"Oh, congratulations."   
  
Quite out of breath, Kirina skidded to a halt in front of the warriors. "Dad, Nunky, Guy ... what just happened here? I've been looking everywhere for you."   
  
"Why? What's going on, Kirina?"   
  
Kirina tossed a thumb over her shoulder, indicating the general direction of the hotel and the nearby restaurant. "It's Master Gen - he's called a meeting. Seems like they finally found a clue as to who M. is."   
  
"Somebody knows who M. is?" Ken asked, jumping to his feet. "Oh boy, this I can't wait to hear."   
  
"Who's M.?" Zeku asked.   
  
"Who are these guys?" Kirina wanted to know.   
  
Ken sighed. "It's a long story on both sides. C'mon, there's time to tell it before we get to the restaurant."   
  


* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Forty minutes have passed _   
  
"We all here?" Bison muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Gill. "Good. Maybe we'll finally get a heads-up as to what this is all about." He glanced to the side, noting where Ryu and Ken were seated with their master. "Hmm, that's a face I haven't seen in years. Looks like Gouken is still mad about what I did to him two decades ago. Bah, all I did was beat him within an inch of his life - that's not a capital offense, is it?"   
  
The restaurant was crowded and rightfully so. Barring the still-absent Darkstalkers' Alliance, every team was present, as were a number of acquaintances not actively participating in the tournament. Every spare table had been occupied - though no definite announcements had yet been made, word had rapidly spread that someone had appeared who had connections to M. "Everyone's here," Sagat declared, scanning the room with his one good eye. "Even people that I'd never thought I'd see again. Except Dadallent - he isn't here."   
  
"That man is impossible to track," McGrath replied. "It's not like we're missing anything with his absence at any rate. Showtime." He stood up and walked to a raised stage set against the back wall of the restaurant. Here, where he was a meter above the floor and conspicuous in his tuxedo, McGrath rapped a spoon against a glass. "May I have your attention, please?" The room swiftly quieted.   
  
"You all have been called here tonight because at last someone who knows the identity of M. is here. Without explaining the circumstances of how she came here, I present to you ... Regina." He gestured to his right; when nothing happened, McGrath indicated the stage with a toss of the head. "Come on, don't be shy."   
  
Regina drew audible gasps and cheers from the crowd as she hesitantly stepped up to the stage. Even though her wings were no longer visible, her beauty and her presence still shone around the entire room. McGrath held out the microphone to her; she took it as well as his position. When McGrath had comfortably retaken his own seat at the vet table, Regina cleared her throat. "Um ... well, I don't know how to begin. First off, I'm very glad to be able to be with all of you tonight. I hope that there will be plenty of time for us to become friends. About M. Her real name is Marin and she is ... my sister."   
  
The crowd murmured with surprise. "Then that means ... are you ...?" Kirina asked.   
  
Regina smiled sweetly. "Yes. Marin and I are both goddesses. My dear older sister taught me nearly all of what I know. It's difficult to stand here and explain in words - perhaps it would be better if I actually showed you." Regina set the microphone down. Then she raised her hands high and a vision blotted out the sight of all present. The restaurant, Regina herself, everything ... all of it faded away. In its place, those assembled saw another scene in another time. Two figures walked through a sunlit park, tiled stones paved in front of them. The sun shone merrily upon their backs; everywhere, trees and flowers were in full bloom. One of the figures was obviously an angel - he wore white robes, had the stature of a Greek god, and a pair of wings sprouted from his back. The woman walking by his side was shorter. Her hands were folded behind her back and the first thought that occurred to many was how much she looked like Regina. Her hair was a seductive auburn. The vision zoomed in, allowing the viewers a clearer look at Marin's face.   
  
_"Lady Regina should be waiting for you at the manor," the angel said. "I am certain that she will be most overjoyed to see you, Lady Marin."   
  
"Two years," Marin said thoughtfully. "It's been two years since mother passed away, yet I could not return to watch over Regina until now. I trust that you and the others have taken good care of her? I wonder how she looks - this will be the first time I see her." Suddenly a strange sound caught her attention and she glanced off to the side. "Eh ... who is that?" She indicated a clearing to her left; a young girl, perhaps six years old, was crying. As Marin drew closer, she saw that the girl was also slightly dirty and seemed to be holding something in her hands. Tear tracks ran down her lovely cheeks.   
  
The angel sighed. "That would be the Lady Regina." He stepped off the path and towards the clearing; Marin followed him. "Lady Regina, look at yourself! Today is the day when your sister comes and you present a terrible appearance!"   
  
"No, 'tis alright." Marin stepped past the angel and motioned; obediently he withdrew and watched from a distance. She knelt down to put herself at the same level as her sister. "Good morning, Regina. What are you weeping about?"   
  
"I - Lady Marin, I found - I found this ..." Regina opened her hands, revealing a motionless spread-winged dove. "I think - I think - I think it's dead!" she sobbed.   
  
Marin studied the bird with a considering eye. "Look more closely, Regina. She may not be moving, but she still draws breath. All she needs is a little encouragement." Marin opened her palms and placed her hand above Regina's; a moment later, a spark of light dropped down into the body of the dove, which instantly stood up, chirped merrily, and then took wing and soared away. Regina immediately burst into smiles. "Incredible! Thank you, Lady Marin!"   
  
"Please, just call me Marin, dear sister," Marin replied, extending her hand to Regina._   
  
"That was the first time I met my sister," Regina said thoughtfully, once more picking up the microphone. "I do not know why Marin hosted this tournament, though I am sure she has noble intentions in mind. Thank you all for listening tonight." She stepped off the stage and returned to her place at the veteran's table. "Greetings, Gill," Regina said, nodding in his direction. "I hadn't realized that you were also here."   
  
"I only just entered, my lady," Gill replied, bowing to her before taking his seat.   
  
"You seem to know each other," Bison commented. "Care to enlighten us?"   
  
Regina smiled warmly. "Gill is a seraph, created by one of the gods. He served under both Marin and myself at one point, before coming down to Earth and trying to establish Utopia here. I hear from both Rose and Gen that he did not recognize Marin's voice - rather surprising for a seraph as accomplished as he is. I gave him a bit of my power in order to help speed his way. It's a commendable dream - any progress, Gill?"   
  
"We shall have heaven on earth by the year 2200," Gill replied smoothly. "My lady, you will always have a home within the Illuminati at any time."   
  
"I appreciate your generosity," Regina replied. She leaned back into her chair; meanwhile, Mason Storm had ascended the stage and was busy making a flowery speech about the tournament. "I have heard much about this tournament. But even I can only guess at my sister's motives this time - I do not know what she intends to accomplish by this."   
  
McGrath consulted his watch. "I entered this tournament with suspicions that there was some sinister force at work. The attack on Rose has only deepened these suspicions. Regina, is there some other agent who would seek evil through this tournament? Because I for one am still not reassured about your sister's benevolence."   
  
Gill growled; Regina merely nodded. "I understand, Ernest, but I cannot believe any evil of my sister considering how we grew up together. She was the one constant companion by my side from childhood all the way to when I became a certified Class SA goddess. Marin has never been any less than kind and considerate towards me. Of us two, she has always been the stronger and the more driven one, yet Marin is a soft and gentle soul."   
  
"I see," McGrath said thoughtfully, his tone indicating that he plainly did not.   
  
"If I may have a word in private with you, doctor?" Gill muttered. He and McGrath stood up and left the table, slipping out of sight into an unoccupied side room. Gill quietly closed the screen door behind himself.   
  
"And watch the sparks fly ..." Sagat commented.   
  
"I am sorry, did I say something I should not have?" Regina asked. "Gill has always been rather ... overzealous. He will not attempt to hurt Ernest, will he?"   
  
"Don't worry about it," Sagat and Gen advised simultaneously.   
  
While Yun crooned out a love song on the stage, Regina, appearing lost in thought, suddenly brightened. "I may know what Marin intends. She and I spoke often about the sufferings that living creatures endure. Watch carefully." That last bit was directed at everyone present in the room. With those words, again reality disappeared and was replaced by the ghostly vision of events in the past.   
  
_"Open your eyes, Regina ... do you recognize this place?" Marin indicated the surrounding landscape with a sweep of her arm. They were both standing atop a mountain peak; looking down, Regina saw a large arch supported by two circular columns constructed of polished marble that shone in the sunlight. It was set up in the middle of a flat plain, wind merrily breezing amongst the tall grass that grew this season. The structure towered above the surrounding landscape, in all looking very much like a doorway that led from nowhere to nowhere. From her vantage point, Regina had an excellent view of the entire scene.   
  
"Why ... the legendary Gate of True Hearts!" Regina exclaimed.   
  
"Yes," Marin replied, "but it is no legend. Look below you." Regina peered intently; at the base of the gate, dwarfed by its massive architecture, a man and a woman were holding hands. As Regina's eyes focused, she observed that the woman was actually an angel. They shared a long, passionate kiss. "This is indeed none other than the Gate of True Hearts. Do you know the purpose of this gate, dear sister? Many beings from one world fall in love with those of another. As a trial of their love, they must all eventually face this dread test. Here they walk past the gate together, should their love be true - but if not, if there is even the least insincerity or doubt in their hearts, then they are separated, forever. We may all walk this gate one day, and perhaps more than once. Look." Marin pointed; the two of them, angel and man, clasped their hands and bravely, determinedly, strode through the doorway. But only the angel reappeared on the other side; glancing around and missing her beloved, she immediately broke down into weeping, sobbing into her hands.   
  
Regina felt tears welling up within her own eyes in sympathy with the angel. "Sad, is it not?" Marin asked, sighing. "Very few of those who meet this trial pass it successfully. From this vantage point I have seen many lovers attempt the ultimate test of their bond; I too share the pain of those who failed." Marin sighed, then continued in a voice both louder and stronger. "Why - why do we gods impose such trials on other lesser beings? Do they not have the same privilege to joy that we take for ourselves? Are we so cruel as to deny them happiness? Where is the justice?!" Marin raised her hand; it took on an ethereal glow, and then, in a gentle voice, she said, "Regina, bring that angel away from the gate. However brokenhearted she may be right now, she need not suffer more."   
  
Regina nodded; a moment later, she had teleported herself beside the gate. The angel looked too shattered to observe the proprieties due to a goddess, but Regina could feel only sympathy for her. As she took the angel's hand and softly led her away, Regina could not help but wonder if she herself might one day experience the very same emotions. When they were sufficiently far away, a burst of energy descended from the heavens and impacted on the doorway, hard. There was an explosion that blinded Regina for a moment; when it cleared, she and the angel both looked back. The doorway, once imposing and magnificent, had been reduced to the level of a ruin. Half of the arch was gone, as well as most of the top of its supporting column. Bits of marble had been blasted everywhere, yet the Gate of True Hearts still stood. A moment later, Marin appeared beside her sister and the angel. "Even I cannot destroy it," Marin sighed regretfully. "I would gladly spare anyone the prospect of facing this trial, but it seems that I cannot. I am sorry." She looked into the angel's eyes. "Courage, dear heart. You may yet love again; may you meet with better fortune then."_   
  
"Please remain focused," Regina requested. The vision of the gate vanished and was swiftly replaced.   
  
_"And graduating first in her grade ... presenting Class SA goddess, Regina!" While Regina stepped onto the platform, shocked, elated, and surprised, Marin watched from the sidelines. The crowd that had gathered for the graduation ceremony was enormous, as it always was. Marin smiled, a little sadly, as Regina received a bouquet of flowers. All those hundreds of years when she had first met Regina and then devoted every last hour of them to training her little sister - they'd passed so quickly. And while she herself still outranked Regina at Class SX, she was both proud and saddened to see her beloved younger sister graduate.   
  
"Dear Regina ..." Marin whispered. "You have a kind heart and a gentle soul. I fear that the realities of the mortal world may sorely test it. I could not stand to see your heart broken, as I am certain it will be. When I see you again, will you still be the same sister I have always loved? Or will I grieve for another changed soul, as I grieved for Eldrin long ago?" Sighing to herself, Marin slipped away through the crowd and to the back of the enormous temple complex. There were still preparations to be made for her sister's surprise party._   
  
"Your sister must have been very close to you," Gen observed, stating the obvious as the scenery faded away.   
  
"So she was," Regina replied. "After my graduation, her sense of right and wrong only intensified. Many nights I have beheld how her heart struggles between propriety and compassion. I believe that she called this tournament in order to find an able helper - one who will assist her in bringing heaven to this world. What I do not understand is why she would host a tournament, of all possibilities, to do so."   
  
"Neither do we," Haggar said. "Thankfully, our friends have been resurrected - did you do this, Regina?"   
  
She shook her head. "No. I suspect that my sister did so. Only a god or goddess can restore life to the dead, but ... we believe in the natural order of things. 'Tis only in extreme circumstances that I would resort to resurrection, and I know that my sister felt the same way. One of my questions was how she could be pressed into employing such a desperate measure. I apologize if what I say is cruel, but if it were my decision many of your friends would not be here. Again, I apologize," she added when Gen and Bison gave each other telling looks.   
  
"What do you plan to do?" Commando asked.   
  
"I will stay here for the time being," Regina replied. "I wish to speak with my dear sister once more. And I do hope that I can make new friends here." She looked up as an obviously drunk Mitsukake Kagatoshi staggered down from the stage and pressed the microphone into her hands. "You wish to hear me sing? How flattering of you." She helped Mitsukake into the seat that she had vacated and glided onto the stage.   
  
"Regina sings beautifully," Ken Masters sighed at his table. He glanced craftily at the table's other occupants, winking at Gouken. "I wonder if she'd be willing to go out with me later. Hey, you're only in trouble once caught, right?"   
  
"You never will grow up, will you?" Guy ribbed.   
  
"By the way," Go Hibiki inquired, "where is my son Dan?"   
  
Ryu and Guy looked away. After a long silence, Ken said softly, "He died in combat with Dadallent."   
  
"What?!" Shock and dismay spread across Go's face. "That same shrouded ninja - he killed my son?"   
  
"He killed me, too, in the past," Zeku added. "Be careful; he was a dangerous opponent even while I was alive, and I believe that time has only strengthened him. You have fought him before, haven't you?"   
  
"Yes," Ryu replied. "He came by once while Ken and I were training together. That particular fight ended in a draw, but I doubt we could take him, even together, in a rematch. Time will tell, though; I suspect that he and I are not yet finished with each other."   
  
At another table, Edgar laid down a card and tried to play with half of his mind while the other half listened to Regina's song. "Dark Magician. Your move, Kikoken."   
  
"Alright. I'll lay a card face-down in defense stance." Kikoken slipped a card onto the table and leaned back.   
  
"Hah. My Dark Magician attacks your card. Show it!"   
  
"Edgar, you really ought to pay more attention to the game." Kikoken revealed a trap on the field. "Holy Mirror, Reflection Barrier. There goes your circus act." She smiled innocently as Edgar grumbled while placing his card into the graveyard. "My move. I think I'll turn this card face-up and attack with it." Kikoken revealed the card. "Blue-Eyed White Dragon attacks you directly. Game over."   
  
Edgar muttered something to himself and gathered his cards. Chan, who had been on edge all night, finally stood up. "Excuse me, you guys, but I'm going to go talk to Hiryu, okay?"   
  
"Don't," Edgar advised, shuffling his deck. "That boy is nothing but trouble."   
  
"How dare you?" Chan replied indignantly. "Hiryu is a sweet, lovable man."   
  
"Don't let him blind you to the truth. He's an assassin and would kill his own mother for a nickel. Hey!" Edgar raised his voice as Chan began to walk away. "Chan! Listen, stay away from him! I'm warning you!"   
  
"At least you're not doing it anonymously," she shot back as she strode off.   
  
"You know," Kenneth Feng commented to his friends, "I've seen a lot of weird stuff in my days, but a goddess? This is too much." He sighed and reached for a bottle of alcohol. "Life was so simple back in the day." Rather than drinking another glass, though, he laid his head on the table and fixed his eyes on Regina.   
  
"Yeah," Yun commented, staring at Regina. "I understand what you mean; for the longest time I thought that Gill was at the pinnacle of the natural order. Now, to overhear that he's still far below people like Regina and Marin - kinda screws with your head, doesn't it? I wonder if we'll be seeing many more surprises in this tournament? Fate knows I was surprised enough to meet Uncle Gen again." He shrugged his shoulders. "Still, this Marin can't be all that bad. I can't wait 'til the finals when we actually get to see her."   
  
"Yeah, big bro, let's win this tournament and do something good with the money - and our newfound powers," Yin added.   
  
"I'd be gratified with just the title," Darrell chipped in.   
  
"I personally don't care for any of the rewards," Kirina noted. "For me, it's about fighting a worthy adversary and learning all that I can from the fight."   
  
"School bills still have to be paid," Sakura reminded her. "That, and house bills, and food bills, and ... everything. It was very nice of Marin to make the tournament completely free and even pay us to attend, though. We'll survive for another year just on the entry pay alone."   
  
"Yeah, and all this media attention is great, too," Darrell commented, leaning back in his chair. He traded a quick kiss with Sakura; Yun and Yang simply looked at each other. Kenneth tried to do the same to Kirina but somehow found himself intercepted by Yun at every turn.   
  
"... Well, I have a joke if anyone wants to hear it," Jill Valentine said, glancing at the _Phantoms_ as well as her own squadmates and a few American Vigilantes. She forged ahead when all present nodded in approval. "It's kinda long, so bear with me. Oh, and it's actually made up of four separate and distinct stories. The first story is this: A man and his wife are driving down a highway. The guy's driving, but his wife keeps nagging him - 'Speed up! Turn on the headlights! Hey, nincompoop, you missed our exit!' Finally the man has had it, turns around, and slaps his wife, saying, 'Are you driving or am I?' The second story: They've arrived home and now the wife is preparing dinner. Unfortunately, the husband keeps pestering her, saying, 'You ought to turn up the fire. Add more salt! This junk tastes horrible!' With that, the wife loses her temper and smacks her husband, yelling 'Are you cooking or am I?' The third story: after dinner, the wife is gossiping on the phone, but her husband keeps trying to cut in - 'How are the relatives? Is Tim back from school yet? Can they come over for Christmas?' The wife finally loses it, turns around and slaps her husband, saying, 'Are you trying to talk or am I?'" Jill placed her hands flat on the table. "Well, there you go."   
  
As expected, Blake Wallis immediately fell for the trap. "Hold up, what happened to the fourth story ...?"   
  
He drew back as Jill slapped him solidly across the cheek, at the same time shouting, "Are _you_ telling this joke or am I?" Charlie and Mason roared with laughter, while Samantha shook her head in disapproval at Blake. Blake rubbed his cheek with one hand and tried to look rueful. A moment later they all burst into uncontrolled laughter. The audience trying to listen to Regina's singing shot them dirty looks.   
  
As Regina finished her song and resumed her seat, Dr. McGrath and Jedah Dohma both simultaneously glanced at the entrance of the restaurant. The door was wide open, as Gen often liked to leave it, but that was not what had drawn their attention. McGrath's eyes narrowed as his highly refined spiritual senses picked out very faint traces of energy that had been left lying around. Jedah, studying the same entrance, also felt a slight twinge of unease. "Jedah, did you also feel ... that we were being watched?"   
  
"Yes, I did."   
  
"Is something wrong?" Regina asked politely.   
  
McGrath indicated the entrance of the restaurant, where the residual energy had nearly faded into oblivion. Still, that sense of unease remained in the back of his mind and now he realized why. McGrath and Jedah traded concerned looks before the former turned to address Regina. "Just a moment ago ... Jedah and I are certain of it ... _he_ was watching you. Dadallent." 


	8. Match II: Triple Dragons vs Project Just...

**Match 1-2: The Triple Dragons vs. Project Justice**   
  


* * *

**Author's Notes:** I shouldn't have to tell you guys what everyone here ought to know by either experience or common sense: please don't put any story spoilers in the reviews. It ruins the story for prospective readers and I'm saying it now because it's grown to a rather ridiculous level. If you do want to say something in-depth about the story, please e-mail me directly. Thanks for your cooperation. On a happier note, I've uploaded some soundtracks to the website. As always, you can find the link in the author's profile page. "And Worlds Collide" is the theme song of the World Collision tournament, one that I hope captures the true spirit of the story in auditory form.   
  


* * *

_ Chambord, France   
One day has passed _   
  
"This place is absolutely beautiful!" Yin Lee gushed. She and her brothers gazed upwards at the immense and beautiful chateaux that had been chosen as the battleground. Chambord was a fairy-tale palace if one ever existed. It was constructed squarely on the banks of a crystal-clear and surprisingly placid stretch of the Loire River, a three-story building replete with circular turrets and towers. A massive stone and marble courtyard served as a pier jutting right into the river proper. This was the marked battleground. It was high noon and the old palace glistened in the warmth of the sun. Privately Yun wondered how Marin had managed to requisition a tourist attraction like this as a site for the tournament. Rumor had it that the Project Justice team packed a great deal of destructive firepower.   
  
Yun scanned the environs with a practiced eye. "Looks like a better battleground than that garbage dump the Neo Commando Squad had to fight in. Well, shall we?" Without waiting for a reply, Yun sat down and began to stretch.   
  
From the other side of the battlefield, Edgar fixed his gaze on the opposing team. "Hmph. The Triple Dragons. Dragons are invariably associated with gangs. They even had a village handed to them by the crime kingpin Gill. Even more damning evidence comes from the fact that their godfathers are the eight crime lords of the Chinese mafia. The verdict: Guilty! We must purge the world of scum of their type!" Edgar raised a fist to the sky and posed magnificently.   
  
Behind Edgar, Chan and Kikoken glanced at each other before simultaneously facefaulting. "You think Edgar is taking his obsession with justice a little too far?" Chan asked worriedly.   
  
Kikoken sighed. "We both should've known better than to team up with him, Chan."   
  
"Well, let's begin," Chan replied. They met the other team at the center of the battleground; Yun winked at Chan, who simply responded with an icy glare.   
  
"Triple Dragons, name your tactical leader," Jedah ordered.   
  
"Yours truly," Yun replied, raising a hand.   
  
"Project Justice, name your tactical leader," Gill boomed.   
  
"Me, of course." Edgar nodded at Gill. The seraph noted the entry, then he and Jedah and the remaining contestants backed away until they were standing outside the marked battlefield. Edgar fixed a cold gaze on Yun. "Yun ... I'll only say this once. You're walking the wrong path. But don't worry, I'll set you back on the straight and narrow, sinner."   
  
"And what would you know of that?"   
  
"I'll give you to the count of three to reform before I do it for you."   
  
"One ... two ... two-and-a-half ... two-and-three-quarters ..."   
  
He was cut off when the impossibly bright light shimmered around both of them for an instant, and then Marin called, "Begin!"   
  
Yun rushed forward, throwing off a powerful punch. Edgar also rushed, but it was to the side. As Yun passed by, Edgar pulled him along his line of motion, hard. Yun quickly lost his balance and landed heavily on the stones. A moment later, Edgar dove after him with an elbow strike, which Yun evaded by rolling to the right. Yun jumped upright; snarling, Edgar went after him with another punch. His snarl turned into a surprised grunt when Yun ducked underneath the attack. From behind his brother, Yang exploded up from a crouch and slashed his arm forward, catching Edgar solidly under the chin with a heavy strike. As the ninja master reeled backwards, Yun followed up on his brother's attack with a powerful Tiger Palm Strike, pressing his hands together and forming a small air current that struck Edgar at point-blank range. The leader of Project Justice staggered backwards in a most ungraceful manner; Yun and Yang shared high-fives before the latter disappeared. They'd just drawn first blood.   
  
"It looks like Edgar's lost his initial advantage," Alia noted. "Jin, Kyosuke, what do you two make of this fight?"   
  
"On paper, the Project Justice team ought to be a sure win," Kyosuke said. "Project Justice has most of the advantages in terms of experience, skill, and sheer power. But fights occur on the battlefield, not on paper. So far we're seeing zero teamwork amongst Project Justice, while the Triple Dragons seem to be handling themselves very well as far as the fight goes. Normally no one would give the Triple Dragons a serious chance, but we may see some surprising results considering how much the rules favor a tightly knit team."   
  
"Kyosuke is correct," Jin added. "Teamwork is very important to this match - for those of you just joining us, we saw exactly how important it was in our previous battle - and this is no different. Edgar can take Yun in a one-on-one match, but with his brother backing him up it's an entirely different story. Oh, look - Edgar just nailed Yun with a star. He's gonna switch out now. Here comes Yang. Well, what do you know - that's Chan's first appearance as a striker assist. The match is still too early to call, though, but the smart money is on Project Justice. Back to you, Alia."   
  
"Thank you, Jin." Alia consulted her internal chronometer. "Hello everybody, if you're just joining us, welcome to the World Collision Tournament coverage where a fast and furious battle is already underway. Let's take a look."   
  
Edgar stepped close to Yang, aiming a swift punch at the younger fighter. Yang avoided this attack by rolling along the ground; when Edgar overshot the strike, Yang quickly rebounded behind him and unfurled an almost vertical kick, stunning Edgar and knocking him forward a few paces. The ninja master recovered, but there was now a wariness in his step that hadn't been present at the beginning of the match. Yang and Edgar closed in again; this time, Edgar landed a pair of solid punches at the cost of a kick into the chest. Yang jumped high when Edgar tried to sweep him; as Edgar's leg scraped across the stones, Yang landed lightly behind his opponent. Edgar deflected a retaliatory kick but was nailed from behind by an arm slash from Yin.   
  
He coughed up blood; Edgar wiped his arm across his mouth, flinging away a few droplets of blood in the process. "Seems like Yin struck him directly in the kidneys," Jin noted. "Edgar has to begin relying on his teammates - wait, there he goes. He's tagged out, Chan's in." _Now watch the magic,_ Jin thought to himself.   
  
Hoping to catch the new arrival off guard, Yang raced forward and threw another Mantis Slash. Chan blocked this attack; a moment later, a powerful wind sprang up out of nowhere and forced Yang back. As he struggled to maintain his balance, Chan flung a wind slash off her arm at Yang, at the same time calling in Kikoken for an assist. Yang jumped over both attacks, but he miscalculated Chan's reaction; the moment he left the ground, the wind instantly shifted and blew him towards her. Chan intercepted him in midair with a Gale High Kick, her heel impacting solidly into his stomach. The flurry blue dragon landed with a gasp, all of the fight temporarily knocked out of him. Nor was Chan adverse to using her advantage; the only warning Yang had was an ominous screech before a massive wall of razor-sharp air burst up all around him. He blocked the attack; Chan, intent on taking the fight home, failed to notice Yin's arrival and promptly took a Lightning Slash into her chin.   
  
"Poor Yang is really getting hammered here," Kyosuke observed. "Still, although beaten, he's definitely not out of the picture yet. Jin, what's your opinion?"   
  
"Any experienced fighter will tell you that this match is still dead even despite the way it's been developing," Jin replied. "Chan's great weakness is that she relies far too much upon her power. She's using Kikoken as a striker, but as Q could tell you, Kikoken makes a very poor striker since she only has a single, easily evaded assist. Notice that Yang and Yin are starting to close in on Chan. Once he gets in point-blank range, I'm afraid Chan won't have much of a chance."   
  
As Jin finished elaborating, Chan threw another Wind Slash off her arm. Yang, who had anticipated the attack, leaped over it and launched a flying kick at Chan. When Chan failed to block it in time, Yang's heel connected with her cheek and in a moment he was laying into her with everthing he had. He knocked her into the air with a knee strike, then leapt up after her and called Yin in the same motion. "Amazing!" Alia noted. "A seven-hit air combo! Chan's going to have the imprint of a foot in her cheek after this one."   
  
Yang landed softly upon the ground and rushed forward, intent on cornering Chan. He launched a vicious ax kick, aiming squarely for her exposed stomach. All he struck was cobbled stone as Chan blurred into a gust of wind and reappeared ten meters away. Yang grunted; he'd hit the stone way too hard and the impact of the attack sent pain lancing through his right leg. Kikoken leapt into the battlefield for her assist. Yang's eyes narrowed, studying the situation; he rolled aside, simultaneously calling Yin. Chan managed to block Yin's attack, but as she attempted to track Yang the third member of the Dragons also entered. Yun landed a solid rushing punch into Chan's shoulder. Chan went down and Yang charged for another ax kick, intending to put an end to his dangerous opponent ...   
  
... but it didn't connect, thanks to the arrival of Project Justice's auxiliary striker. "Go, Dark Magician!" Edgar cried.   
  
Kyosuke winced in sympathy as Yang disappeared within a massive burst of energy sent forth from the Dark Magician's rod. "That has to hurt. Very interesting reversal situation here, and effective cover fire from Edgar. Had Yang's attack landed, Chan would probably be out of the fight right now. As it is - okay, Yang's switched out with Yin. Chan looks tired, though."   
  
"Yes, and she needs to withdraw now," Jin added. "If she tries to keep fighting in this situation, eventually the Triple Dragons will wear her down to the point where one of them can get in a finishing blow. C'mon, Chan, switch out with Kikoken - ouch, a direct hit from Yin's palm press. She really ought to switch out now; what's keeping her, I wonder? Sheesh, the girl could use a good wake-up punch from Blodia. She's down. Here comes Yin for the finishing strike ..."   
  
Chan crouched on the ground, seemingly spent. She gasped for breath, one knee pressed heavily into the stones and dimly aware that Kikoken was frantically calling to her. Her hooded eyes watched Yin warily. _Come on, Yin, take the bait ... you know you want it ... yes!_ Yin, a bare two meters away, suddenly reared back and flung out an enormous blade of energy. Chan dropped to the ground as the energy blade swept above her, making an ominous scraping sound against the air. The attack had been aimed upwards, so it missed completely. Yin followed with her other hand, intending to bring the blade crashing into Chan.   
  
Instead, Yin found herself the victim of a vicious counterattack as Chan blurred out again. The second attack of the Sourai Shuurai missed as completely as the first. Before she could react or even think, Yin was spun around by Chan. Her mind screamed in denial; how had Chan appeared _behind_ her so quickly?! Yin signaled for an assist, but the signal came even as she was being hoisted into off the ground, the air emitting eerie shrieks around her. Chan lifted Yin high into the air with her right arm. Yin's scream of agony was lost amidst the veritable whirlwind that exploded into life around her, razor-sharp air blades slicing through every exposed surface on her body. The attack lasted only for a single, devastating moment; when it ended, Chan casually threw Yin to one side, the fallen dragon bleeding like a sieve from a thousand cuts on her skin. Yun's assist, arriving way too late, was easily blocked. Gill picked Yin up and carried her off to the waiting medical teams.   
  
"Looks like Chan turned the table quite effectively on the opposing team," Kyosuke noted. "Okay, she's switching out - now it's Kikoken versus Yun. For those of you just joining us, the current match pits the Triple Dragons against Project Justice. One member of the Dragons is already down, but the Dragons are definitely not out of the match yet. What does the current match up look like to you, Jin?"   
  
"It's good to see that Kikoken is finally in action, since she makes a great main fighter. With effective support from her two teammates, she can be downright deadly. I'd say that this match is in Kikoken's favor, since she is a Lian after all. Also, she's somewhat better than Yun in the hand-to-hand combat department. Still, right now Yun is using Yang very effectively as a striker. Let's take a look at the action as it unfolds."   
  
As Jin finished speaking, Yun slipped past Kikoken's defense and launched her into the air with a powerful kick. At that moment he tagged out, calling Yang in; Yang entered with a flying kick that sent Kikoken tumbling backwards head over heels. Kikoken changed herself into liquid form halfway through the fall and splashed harmlessly around the stones before reforming herself. She drew herself into a fighting stance, then beckoned to Yang.   
  
Yang needed no second bidding. He dashed forward; Kikoken slid along the ground, intending to catch him with an ankle kick and chain directly into her Sliding Tackle. The moment she dropped fully to the ground, though, Yang suddenly blurred out in a flash of motion. "Huh? Where'd he ...?"   
  
"Kikoken, watch out!" Chan cried. "He's behind you!"   
  
She whipped around, except Yang streaked again ... this time, directly at her. He moved past in a gust of motion. Kikoken tried to turn around and continue tracking him, but suddenly she felt pain explode into her stomach and she doubled over. From the initial point of impact, a series of painful flares burst underneath her skin as Yang's energy combusted explosively with Kikoken's body. Panting heavily, Kikoken kneeled down and tried to heal herself; blue energy arced along her body and she shook her head clear. Just then a shadow fell over her.   
  
"Sorry, babe," Yun whispered.   
  
"And Kikoken is knocked out by Yun!" Jin announced. "The crowd goes wild! Excellent trap laid by the Dragons there - Kyosuke, I think that the Dragons have just cut Project Justice's advantage down to size. That was really a remarkably quick attack by the twins. Alia, how does it look from your perspective?"   
  
"Well, the Dragons have the initiative right now, and you can see just how hard they're pressing Edgar. It seems as though Edgar has something against using striker assists, but he won't be able to hold up for long under an assault like this. Okay, he's using another one of his cards - Q, what's he doing?"   
  
Q. studied the situation, his voice completely mechanical. "This particular card is the Wall of Mirrors, which blocks any energy-based attack and reflects half of it back to its originator. However, Edgar must also pay a steep cost in life to use the wall. He has two minutes to seize the advantage before the upkeep cost of the wall renders him unconscious." He scrutinized the situation more closely, changing to a ground-based view for a closer look. "The Dragons have few energy-based attacks; however, this card does effectively lock down all of their super techniques and I believe that they realize this as well."   
  
"Thanks for the information, Q. Jin, there's - oh, wait wait wait, look!" Having just blocked an attack from Yun, Edgar shoved him backwards with the Advancing Guard. Yang appeared to cover his brother with an attack, but this move cost both of them dearly as Edgar rolled backwards. Yang's assist whiffed completely; a moment later, Edgar pulled himself upright, something glittering in both sleeves. That was the only warning that the Dragons had before the air was filled with a swarm of angry shuriken directed at both of them. Yang, who was still recovering from his strike, had no chance and was instantly knocked out by the attack, more than two dozen ninja stars stuck all over his body. Yun crouched and managed to avoid the worst of the attack. "Chan, you're in!"   
  
On cue, Chan leapt into the battlefield as Edgar slid out. Yun, picking shuriken out of his clothes, cursed as he was forced to defend and dodge simultaneously. Chan pressed her advantage ruthlessly, using the wind to force Yun into undesirable situations. Whenever Yun tried to gain a solid footing, a violent gust of wind nearly swept him off his feet. He swore as he stepped on a shuriken; realizing that recovery rolling was too risky, he opted to stand his ground. When Chan failed to make any heading against Yun after half a minute, she called for an assist from Edgar instead.   
  
Yang and Kikoken had both regained consciousness by this point and watched from the sidelines. Edgar pulled a card from his deck. "Finally! _Seal defense!_"   
  
Yun only had the time to mutter a curse before his defense was sealed, preventing him from defending himself. Chan smiled; it was a totally unnerving sight which made Yun's blood run cold. How in the world had he ever found her attractive in the first place? For a moment there was no action as Yun and Chan looked into each other's eyes, both of them well aware that this battle was decided. "Game over, Yun - Glory of the Storm!" Chan lifted her hands high into the air; in response, a hurricane force wind swept over the whole battlefield, slashing mercilessly into Yun with biting gusts. It was all over after a few seconds; Yun collapsed on the cobbled stones, devoid of any movement. Three seconds passed.   
  
"Announcing the winners of Round 1-2 ... Project Justice!"   
  


* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
One hour has passed _   
  
"This teleportation business is great, isn't it, Chan?" Kikoken asked with a brilliant smile. The two of them were sitting alone in the Genhanten restaurant across from their hotel, both of them sipping at plastic cups filled with honeyed bubble tea. They had since changed out of battle outfits into casual wear for Chan and a blouse with skirt for Kikoken. Marin had made arrangements so that the teams could be teleported anywhere in a moment's notice; they'd just returned from France ten minutes ago. As Kikoken bubbled on excitedly about the latest events, Chan glanced at the hotel worriedly. Whoever was in charge of the medical team must've been real good - she'd seen Yin walking around without a cut or scab or even a scar half an hour after the match - and the Dragons had returned to the hotel. Unfortunately, Edgar had followed them inside, probably to deliver another lecture on justice and how it -   
  
"Hello? Earth to Chan; you've been like this ever since the battle ended. Is something wrong?" Kikoken waved a hand in front of Chan's face.   
  
"Sorry, Kikoken. I'm just a little preoccupied."   
  
"Oh, with what?"   
  
"Well, I - I don't think I should have done what I did to Yin. I mean, I nearly killed her on the spot. I had my BEAT bodyguard take a sneak peek at the medical records; Yin lost nearly half her total blood supply, Kikoken. I know that I had to knock her out, but ... what I did wasn't justified." She looked at her older friend. "What should I do?"   
  
"Then go tell her if you really feel that way," Kikoken encouraged.   
  
"Yeah ... I should, shouldn't I? Thanks." Chan stood up, disposed of her drink, and walked out of the restaurant. Left to herself, Kikoken stared at nothing in particular. The restaurant was, surprisingly enough, devoid of any other inhabitants besides herself. Mentally Kikoken replayed the battle that she'd just come out of. _Was I too careless? Objectively, I am a better fighter than either Yun or Yang alone, but ... they knocked me out. There's something to be learned from this fight. What is it?_ Kikoken sighed and drained her cup of its contents. After a moment, she idly opened her palm and a sphere of water coalesced into existence. She studied it with a critical eye as it played around her hand. A few years ago, right as she had become a Lian, she'd come across a book written by Zeku. _Water is unique in that it is both defensive and aggressive at the same time. Go with the way the water flows and you will encounter no resistance. Yet the harder one pushes, the harder water pushes back. Simultaneously a friend and an enemy - that is the essence of water._   
  
She glanced up as Scott Wagner slipped into the restaurant, clad in a leather jacket and sporting the spectacles common to all members of the American Vigilantes. He indicated the seat next to her. "Mind if I join you here?"   
  
_I'd much rather prefer Mason Storm - drop-dead cute Mason - but you'll do for now_, Kikoken mused, but she wisely kept the thought to herself and nodded. Scott fell rather than sat into the chair, landing heavily. After exhaling deeply, he turned to face her. "I saw what your team did back in the previous match. I have to say, I was quite impressed. What do you plan to do before the next match comes?"   
  
"Have fun, of course," Kikoken stated. "All fight and no play makes Kikoken a grouchy girl. What about you? Your match is just before my next one - you nervous?"   
  
"Psht, going up against those three pushovers who call themselves the Masters Team? Get real." Kikoken frowned, but Scott winked at her. "Sorry about that - it's just my lefthanded way of saying yes. I'm not exactly thrilled at the thought of facing any of those guys in a real fight." He glanced around the restaurant. "Dang it, I need a drink. My nerves are getting frayed."   
  
"Scott, alcohol is bad for you, you know."   
  
"So is life," Wagner instantly retorted, "which is a sexually-transmitted condition with a one-hundred percent mortality rate." He winked at her and they both chuckled for a moment.   
  
"So how was your childhood?" Kikoken asked.   
  
"My life is a sad, sorry tale," Wagner replied, "I'd much rather hear yours."   
  
"Mine's not any better," Kikoken replied. "Actually ... I have no memory of my life before the age of twelve. My mind is a blank slate where my memories ought to be. My earliest conscious memory is of participating in the Lian ceremonies. If I ever wanted anything, it would be to - _look out!_" Kikoken suited her own words as she and Scott simultaneously dove to the floor. An angry tranquilizer tore through the space where they had been but a moment before.   
  
"Curses - Shadowlaw commandos!" Scott hurriedly flipped the table over; as it crashed down to the floor with a heavy thud, he rolled it around to barricade himself and Kikoken. More tranquilizer darts ricochetted harmlessly off the wooden tabletop. "They've taken all the entrances! Who the heck sent these goons?" Wagner shouted. "What do they want now?!"   
  
Kikoken was about to answer when a new voice interrupted from above. "Sic 'em, boys!" Blake Wallis called, at the same time dropping to the ground and landing in a crouch alongside Kikoken and Scott. In his other hand he held an elegant and deadly rifle. A new sound had joined the fray, the sound of metallic bullets ringing off any and every available surface. "This is Apache, fire in the hole!" Blake tossed a grenade over the table, then pulled Kikoken and Scott down to the ground with him. There was a massive burst of light followed by a sonic wave that nearly deafened all present; Blake instantly popped up from the table and began searching for targets, but there was no need. As Kikoken and Scott cautiously peeped around the table, the various BEATs emerged from odd corners of the restaurant, each one with a Shadowlaw agent securely tied up. One of the IDC soldiers was none other than that British gentleman, Sir Lloyd Cunningham. As they finished securing their prisoners, a new figure stepped lightly into the restaurant.   
  
"Salutations. Well done, gentlemen." Samantha McGrath carried her own rifle over her shoulder. It was only then that Kikoken realized every IDC soldier was wearing a combat uniform. "Take them away for interrogation," Samantha ordered. "Everyone performed superbly - let's hope a similar situation can be averted."   
  
"Wait a minute," Kikoken demanded as the BEATs began to file away, "you _knew_ that they were coming?"   
  
"We found out only an hour ago," Blake Wallis explained, coming up from behind. He sat down and with an air of indifference began to clean his rifle. "Our BEAT patrol assigned to the Lords of Shadowlaw overheard Vega bragging to Balrog about how, and I quote him, 'that Kikoken girl is about to become mine - _all_ mine!' Once the intelligence came through, the BEATs assigned to you called for backup - which was us, by the way - and set up a counter ambush. Personally I prefer fighting in open areas rather than tightly confined spaces, and the arrival of a civilian kinda threw me off," here Blake winked at Scott, "but overall the operation was a success."   
  
"Watch who you're calling a civilian, fool," Scott muttered.   
  
Blake consulted his watch. "Well, any minute now ... yep, here they come. You can ask your questions in person if you'd like, Kikoken." With that he smartly slung his rifle - it was really a beautiful weapon - over his shoulder, jumped onto a table, and swung his legs idly while he waited for whoever it was to enter.   
  
None of them had to wait long. The doors opened; M. Bison stepped inside, followed closely by McGrath, both of them deep in the middle of a conversation. Bison wore his distinctive red dictator's outfit while McGrath was dressed in a white and blue tuxedo. "... so the idealogy of Shadowlaw actually does not conflict with - _what? You - here?!_"   
  
"Right on time, Buffalo," Blake noted coolly.   
  
"How very kind of you to join us," Samantha greeted.   
  
Bison's eyes narrowed dangerously as he surveyed the scene. "So, you knew ... mark my words, Lian, I will have your power by fair means or foul!"   
  
"I suggest you try the fair method first," Blake observed, nonchalantly sighting his rifle on a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. "That way you won't have to deal with a squad of BEATs constantly being crammed down your throat."   
  
"Bison ..." Scott growled.   
  
"Bison, why?" Kikoken demanded.   
  
"With your power, you could rule the world!" Bison exclaimed. "The legendary Lian, able to control the elements themselves - mark you well, Kikoken, that power will one day be mine, and when it is the whole world will tremble before me!"   
  
"Please do not speak such words, they make you sound evil!" a new voice interrupted softly. They all glanced at the entrance; Regina softly stepped into the restaurant with a more than mortal grace. She halted in front of McGrath, facing Bison directly. Behind the goddess, McGrath gave Bison a I-promise-you-I-had-nothing-to-do-with-this look. Samantha had put her hand on her chin and gazed thoughtfully at the scene in front of her, while Lloyd suddenly took a new interest in his Crystal Rifle. Kikoken, for her part, only stared in confusion at the scene unfolding in front of her.   
  
"Don't tell me she's being serious," Blake muttered to Scott.   
  
"Scary thought, isn't it?" Scott muttered back.   
  
"Ah, the goddess speaks. You, I have an interest in. Meet me in the fountain square at sunset, alone. I'll be waiting for you!" So saying, Bison regally threw his cape behind himself and stalked out of the restaurant. McGrath made a small hand signal behind his back to someone Kikoken could not see. He then pulled out a pair of chairs for his wife and for Regina before resuming his former position of leaning against the wall. When silence ensued, McGrath glanced pointedly at Blake.   
  
"Fine, I'll explain." Blake Wallis hopped off the table and halted in front of Regina. "M. Bison is the absolute dictator of Shadowlaw. For your information, Shadowlaw was founded about forty years ago by Bison. Like most stereotypically evil dictators, Bison has only one objective: world domination. He also uses stereotypically evil methods, such as extortion, kidnapping, and assassination, among other undesirables. Bison is as cunning as a fox but considerably uglier. For the past forty years the IDC has managed to restrict Shadowlaw's activities and keep them minimal, but we were never able to actually crack the organization until Bison was killed in the second World Warrior tournament. For the record, that's not my fault since I joined the IDC only after Shadowlaw had crumbled." Blake paused and thought for a moment. "Bison did, however, rebuild Shadowlaw with remarkable speed after his resurrection. It's a kinder organization now, as you can see." He picked a tranquilizer dart off the floor. "Back in the good old days, this would've been a poisoned bullet. Bison has two henchmen. Balrog is the ex-heavyweight champion who's only slightly smarter than a calabash, while Vega is the Spanish matador who lives for beauty and will one day die for it." Blake candidly ignored the warning looks that Samantha directed at him.   
  
"My, what terrible tidings. My dear sister must have made a mistake inviting him to this tournament." Regina looked up at Blake. "There will be time later for such conversation. Before then ..."   
  
"I cannot bear to watch this," Samantha whispered to McGrath as Blake made a pass at an oblivious Regina. "Flirting with a goddess, of all people! Shall we?" McGrath nodded, offered his hand to his wife, and together they exited the restaurant. Lloyd followed them, trailed by Kikoken and Scott a moment later.   
  
"Ernest."   
  
"Hello, Gouken. Have you improved any?" McGrath nodded at his old friend, who was standing in the open street in front of the restaurant, arms folded. Despite the fact that Osaka was a busy city, the streets were mostly deserted. McGrath detached himself from his wife and appraised Gouken item by item. The beads that the Ansatsuken fighter once wore were now gone, but the faded tan uniform hadn't changed at all. He was still a mostly balding man, with the old cross-shaped scar that had come from a training accident so many years ago. His old friend ... McGrath grinned heartily as he quietly assumed his combat posture. A slow smile also crept across Gouken's face as he relaxed into a fighting stance. "You tell me, Ernest."   
  
The battle was short.   
  
"Fifteen years is a long time for anyone to not train," McGrath observed as he helped Gouken back to his feet. "The more I learn, the more I realize just how little I know. Samantha and I agreed to train this afternoon, please join us. That is, if you don't mind, honey?"   
  
"I welcome the addition," Samantha replied gracefully.   
  
Gouken chuckled. "You're a lucky man, Ernest, to have such a spirited wife. Hello, what's this?"   
  
Sakura Kasugano approached the group, somewhat unsettled. "Um, pardon me for interrupting, but has anyone here seen either Karin or Ibuki? They were supposed to go shopping with me today. I waited an hour at the mall but they never showed up, and they're not in their hotel rooms either."   
  
Scott Wagner frowned. "I haven't seen either of them since this morning, at breakfast." Agreement came from all sides. "Knowing Karin, though, she's probably playing a practical joke on you."   
  
"Which mall were you planning to go to?" McGrath asked.   
  
"The big one in the north suburbs," Sakura responded. "You know, the one offering a twenty-five percent sale on everything? Karin said that the sale was only going to last for a day and we agreed to shop there together. Any of you are invited to come with us, by the way," Sakura added.   
  
"Mind if I help you look?" McGrath offered. In the end they all decided to come along except for Scott Wagner. Sakura led them through the city; after they came out of the hotel block, Osaka presented a jam-packed, polluted inner-city environ. There was litter everywhere and at Samantha's suggestion they combed the streets first. Kikoken very quickly discovered that in Japan, apparently pedestrians did _not_ have the right of way. The group in general presented a very strange sight - a woman in a schoolgirl uniform, two in IDC uniform, McGrath wearing a tuxedo, and Gouken in his outfit looked as though he were dying for a fight. They halted two blocks towards the mall when McGrath suddenly raised a hand. "Feel that? Karin and Ibuki are a block ahead of us."   
  
Gouken regarded McGrath semi-skeptically. "Is that so? How do you know?"   
  
"Traces of their aura are here, one of them distinctively Karin's, the other one Ibuki's. Although ... it seems that they came by almost an hour ago, judging by the way the traces have faded." McGrath frowned. "There's also something else ahead, but very, very faint. At this range I can't tell what it is. Hmm ... seems as though Karin and Ibuki haven't moved at all for an hour, too. I don't sense any imminent danger, though. It's near impossible to tell at this distance." McGrath turned to Sakura. "Normally I'd come with you and investigate, but other matters are commanding my attention. Here." He drew a slender device from the folds of his tuxedo and slipped it into her hands. "That's an IDC communicator. If you need backup, call your BEAT squad and they'll arrive in five minutes. Be seeing you, and good luck."   
  
McGrath led the group away, all but one. "I'll help you search," Lloyd offered. "Don't mind the doctor - he senses many things like that, and he's rarely wrong."   
  
"Does he usually do that?" Sakura asked as she and Lloyd resumed walking down the street.   
  
"No," Lloyd admitted. "If he didn't have a prior engagement, he'd certainly come along with us." The IDC soldier scanned their surroundings with a practiced eye while Sakura forged ahead. "Don't worry, even if your friends aren't here, the BEATs can usually locate missing people within a day. Well, here we are." Lloyd and Sakura stopped in front of a jewelry shop. Yes, here ... there was an aura about this place, so faint that Sakura barely registered it, but nonetheless she was certain that this was the place McGrath had talked about. Sakura glanced at the signs hanging in the windows. _Hmph, rare diamonds and an all-day sale. No wonder Karin and Ibuki didn't make it._ Sakura visualized Karin and Ibuki giggling like schoolgirls over any number of articles; knowing Karin, she'd probably spend an hour browsing before deciding to buy everything on display.   
  
Lloyd opened the door for Sakura, then entered behind her. The shop was empty except for the salesperson behind the counter inspecting her nails. "Excuse me, but have you seen ..." Sakura described Karin and Ibuki for the saleswoman. Lloyd, in the meanwhile, scouted the shop. He'd taken in the whole building, a rather small one all told, at a single glance without seeing either girl. The counters displayed a variety of beautiful and exotic trinkets, none of which made much impression on him.   
  
"I'm sorry, lady, but no one matching either of those descriptions has been here," the saleswoman replied.   
  
"I don't see them anywhere," Lloyd reported. "Perhaps they went on to the mall?"   
  
"Probably. Well, so much for the doctor's ideas." Lloyd opened the door again for Sakura, causing a bell to chime softly. A sudden gust of wind blew into the shop, carrying a piece of paper out as it rebounded. With well-honed reflexes, Sakura caught it with a reaction more from instinct than forethought. It was no more than a scrap, but something was written upon it in heavy gold ink and Sakura admired the calligraphy for a moment before crumpling it and tossing it aside. She made a mention note to buy some ink of that sort when she arrived at the mall. "Yeah, they're probably at the mall. I'll be so relieved to find them there. Then, Lloyd, I want to you hold as I Hadouken them across the pavement." As Sakura and Lloyd strode off in the direction of the mall, the wind caught the stray scrap of paper and exposed it for a brief moment. Any passerby who could identify Roman characters had a split second to read the writing before the wind caught it up again and took it out of sight.   
  
_Fin d'Âme Interdite_


	9. Match III: Wrestlers' Assocation vs Erne...

**Match 1-3: Ernest McGrath vs. the Wrestlers' Association**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Here's another update. For the curious, you can no longer find me on AIM since the school year has ended and so I'm currently at home with a 56k modem and no Instant Messenger. Just as well, I say, you all were miserable conversationalists to begin with. Okay, joking aside, here's the next chapter.

* * *

_ Stewart Island, New Zealand   
Five days have passed _   
  
"The match will not start for another hour and yet you are already here. Why?" Samantha McGrath casually tossed her hair back over her shoulder as she directed the question towards her husband. The two of them were alone on Stewart Island, a large mass of land located directly beneath New Zealand's South Island. The island was home to a riot of coniferous trees, all of which were currently in full greenery. It stood barely a few meters above sea level. Yesterday the battleground had already been marked out; it was set on the western beachside which had been carefully combed for hazardous objects underfoot. It was an hour before dusk; the beach shone in brilliant hues of orange and red, violet waves gently lapping against the shore. It was truly a scene to dwell upon and Samantha enjoyed it as she slowly walked around the beach, arms linked with those of her husband.   
  
"Just learning the lay of the land, Samantha. Trying to stack up as many fair advantages as I can before the battle starts." McGrath sighted down the beach along his arm, using his chronometer as a focal point. The marked out battleground was nearly half a kilometer long but only fifty meters wide. Flocks of gulls swarmed everywhere, yet all of them stayed well clear of the battleground. More of Marin's power at work, McGrath supposed. "By the way ... have the BEATs located either Karin or Ibuki yet?"   
  
Samantha shook her head, indicating a negative response. "No, and it troubles me. Still no trace of either after five days of searching, Ernest - this is not normal." McGrath nodded; they'd both searched Karin and Ibuki's rooms at various times, none of which had yielded any clue as to why the two girls would so suddenly disappear. Neither had Sakura or Lloyd discovered anything and now McGrath was sorely regretting his decision not to accompany the former. Last he'd heard, Karin's father was on the verge of a nervous breakdown and demanding to speak with either McGrath himself or the host of the tournament. McGrath had come out of that phone conversation feeling that absolutely nothing had been resolved. "Dear, are you well?"   
  
"I'm worried about Karin and Ibuki," McGrath replied thoughtfully, "since either one or the other should definitely have surfaced by now." He glanced at Samantha; two days ago, he'd run all three of the Lords of Shadowlaw through polygraph tests and satisfied himself that they were not involved in the disappearances. An inquiry by Regina had returned the same result from Gill. Even the goddess had no clue as to where the errant girls were; McGrath noted that the Darkstalkers' Alliance had met pretty much the same end. He'd voiced his suspicions to Samantha as well as the leaders of the BEAT patrols; currently, the IDC was passing along his request for reinforcements up the chain of command. He'd made the request only an hour ago.   
  
Still, suspicions were by no means certainties and McGrath had to admit that he was plagued by doubts. His conversation yesterday with Bison, Gill, and Regina had lasted late into the night but only increased his confusion. "I'm sure they'll show up somewhere. Those two girls can take care of themselves. After this match ends, win or lose I'll go search for them myself. Well, there's still an hour before the match begins. I think I understand the terrain fairly well now; would you care to meditate with me?"   
  
"Of course, Ernest." Samantha nodded and detached herself from him; a moment later, both of them sat down upon the soft, ocean-soaked sand and composed themselves. Samantha closed her eyes and began to breathe rhythmically. _Focus on breathing, Samantha. Do not think, simply act. Feel your mind begin to empty itself and lower your defenses; thus nature runs its course and will of herself freely channel her strength through you. Breathe in ... breathe out ... breathe in ... breathe out ... when you are calm ... at peace ... let yourself go ..._ As she gradually slipped away into tranquility, Samantha became acutely conscious of everything about her. The sounds of the ocean seemed to be magnified many times, her own heart beat steadily, and a tingling sensation that had nothing to do with awkward sitting positions ran over all her skin. Only that the last sensation was flowing underneath her skin rather than upon it, and it ran in waves from her heart and lungs to her extremities. It was, of course, a manifestation of her _chi_ and she let it run freely through her body without trying to analyze it.   
  
"... Hello? Earth to Samantha, are you awake?" Samantha's eyes snapped open and she found herself staring into McGrath's. "It's been a whole hour," McGrath continued. "The Wrestlers' Association just arrived, so ... would you?"   
  
_An entire hour? Did I truly meditate for such a long time?_ Samantha let McGrath pull her to her feet. In the distance, the sun had just begun to set, painting the world in beautiful orange and violet hues. A few stray clouds passed by overhead. McGrath met the members of the Wrestlers' Association and shook hands with each one of them. Introductions were made all around. As they chattered, Gill and Jedah also appeared out of thin air and motioned to Samantha. She nodded, kissed McGrath, and waved goodbye as she was teleported back to Osaka.   
  
"Wrestlers' Association, name your tactical leader," Jedah ordered.   
  
They glanced at each other before a quick round of rock-paper-scissors decided Haggar as the leader. Jedah nodded, then he and Gill withdrew to beyond the boundaries of the battlefield. Alex and Zangief followed, the latter wearing an enormous red cape that concealed most of his muscles. All along the sidelines the camera crews caught every bit of the scene. For a moment neither of the two leaders said a word, until McGrath broke the silence.   
  
"It's an honor fighting you, old timer. I'll be throwing myself into this battle with all my heart, and I expect you to do no less."   
  
"But of course, doctor. I'd be offended if you didn't."   
  
A small smile played around McGrath's lips. "Excellent! May the best team win." He offered his right hand; Haggar shook it warmly. For a moment both of them pulled each other into a classic buddy-buddy position. McGrath's eyes were warm and tranquil, while Haggar looked as though he were attending a party instead of a battle. They were, after all, old friends. Then the bright light glimmered all around them and Marin called "Begin!"   
  
Using his superior strength and leverage, Haggar pulled McGrath forward for a throw, but the doctor also reacted quickly. Just before he left the ground, McGrath applied extra force into his knees and jumped, clearing Haggar's shoulders and pulling his arm after him. McGrath's left hand chopped hard into Haggar's right wrist, clearing his own right hand. The doctor landed lightly behind the ex-mayor; he ducked as Haggar instinctively spun around for a Lariat strike and swept Haggar into the sand before the move could execute.   
  
Haggar rolled back as McGrath jumped high into the air, descending with a double knee strike into the sand where the ex-mayor had been but a moment before. _Hmph. It's been eight years and Ernest's edge hasn't dulled at all. I forgot just how dangerous he really is - well, I said I'd give this battle my all, and Mike Haggar keeps his promises._ So thinking, Haggar charged forward for a hammer strike; it clipped McGrath on th shoulder without doing any real damage, and a moment later the doctor struck back with a powerful uppercut into Haggar's elbow. Haggar instantly felt the area go numb as his entire arm rang with the sheer shock of the attack. His eyes narrowed dangerously. _You held back, Ernest. If that had been Dadallent or Bison, the bone would've shattered all the way up to the clavicle. You can beat me easily in a one-on-one, but ... may the best team win._ Haggar signaled for an assist; as McGrath came by for another lightning attack, Zangief blurred by with a whirlwind of spinning fists and McGrath was forced to abort his attack. _As you can see, doctor, no matter how skilled you may be, you're still one person against three. We can wear you down, and we will._   
  
"Ooh, the Wrestlers' Association is throwing everything but the kitchen sink at Ernest McGrath," Kyosuke raved. "So far neither side has a definite advantage; however, this match looks like it'll be over quick once Haggar and his friends move in. What do you think, Jin?"   
  
"I dunno, Kyosuke. McGrath obviously knows that he has to keep his opponents - all of them - at arm's distance, and he's still controlling the fight although he's being driven back. At the same time, he has to deal with Haggar blocking his way and Zangief and Alex coming in all the time for assists. Oops, there he goes into Haggar's pile driver, good thing they're fighting on sand and not asphalt - no, wait, it's a tech hit!" Jin and Kyosuke both jumped to their feet. "McGrath has regained the offensive and is laying into Haggar. Wow, six hit combo with a zero cancelled Half-Moon Kick at the end! Wait, here comes Zangief with the assist again ... okay, that ends the combo. It's a standoff right now, folks."   
  
Haggar wiped off a trickle of blood from his mouth. _He's still holding back. I wonder why? Well, you managed to escape my pile driver - let's see you escape this!_ He signaled Zangief for an assist, then Alex for an extra strike from the opposite direction. McGrath blocked Zangief's Banishing Fist but failed to evade Alex's Flash Chop in time. The blow stunned him and spun him; a moment later, Haggar had seized McGrath from behind and lifted him clear into the air. "Final ... Atomic ... Buster!!!"   
  
"Ow!" Alia winced, "the doctor is going to have the imprint of a seashell in his skull after that last attack. Amazingly enough he's still upright - must be the soft sand, but he's definitely looking quite beaten."   
  
McGrath's eyes narrowed as he considered Haggar. _It took a lot of energy to Soul Reverse away most of the damage from that attack. Alright, old friend, you've changed too. Well, then - with all my heart -!_ McGrath rushed forward, aiming straight for Haggar. When Zangief got in the way of the charge, McGrath gladly changed targets instead and laid the beatdown on the Russian wrestler before either of his teammates could save him. "Wow, 12-hit combo in just four seconds, finished with a Hell Press!" Alia reported. "The good doctor sure gave Zangief a piece of his mind! That's gotta hurt however strong a person may be."   
  
As Zangief staggered back to the boundaries of the battlefield, Haggar rushed in again for another Hammer Charge, growling as he did so. _I'd planned to switch out with Zangief after another attack, but he's in no condition to fight right now. Still, Alex is right behind him on the lineup ..._ "Zangief, you're in!" Haggar clipped empty air; when McGrath retaliated with a Half-Moon Kick, he also missed Haggar. Zangief jumped into the ring but immediately switched out, bringing Alex into the fight.   
  
McGrath jumped, but backwards. When Alex did not counter with his anti-air attack as McGrath had hoped, the doctor instead jumped to the side in a semi-dive, sprang off the sand with a handspring, and planted both of his feet solidly in Alex's chest. Alex blocked the attack but staggered backwards regardless. "Ouch, guard crush!" Alia announced. "McGrath can't quite exploit the opening; still, he's got the momentum and he knows it. Haggar is offering all the support fire that he can, though. Oh, wait, there's an opening, and in Alex goes! Wow, five hit air combo ending with a ... an Air Stampede!" Alex slammed McGrath into the sand with both of his knees planted firmly on McGrath's chest. Before he could jump up, however, McGrath grabbed his shoulders and levered him over his head in a circle throw. McGrath rolled upright, coughing out blood.   
  
Alex hopskipped forward, dodging a light punch from McGrath. Unfortunately, he miscalculated the doctor's commitment to the attack and paid for it a moment later when McGrath slammed a fist into his solar plexus. Alex doubled over, seeing stars for a moment - but only a moment. The next instant he was upright and charging again. McGrath, seeing him coming, prepared to sidestep and then realized his opponent's intent. _Clever. Tom must've trained him pretty well - so, you'll feint and try for your Hyper Bomb. Alright, I've a trick up my sleeve, too. Here I am. Go for it._   
  
Alex seized McGrath at point-blank range; a moment later, the doctor was being viciously back-dropped into the sand, twice. Nor was that all; Alex then grabbed McGrath and jumped high into the air, intending to come back down to the ground with a Hyper Bomb. That, at least, was the plan, but ... "A midair tech hit!" Jin screamed, not believing what his eyes told him. "McGrath's escaped from the Hyper Bomb! And, with a single vicious ax kick he's sending Alex back into the ground! Ouch, that's gonna break every bone in the wrestler's body!"   
  
Alex landed heavily, managing to roll at the last second and avoiding the worst of the attack. McGrath followed with an elbow chop, clipping Alex's forehead. Alex, landing upright, signaled for an assist as he tried to maneuver McGrath between himself and his teammates. Unfortunately, his friends weren't exactly listening.   
  
"Hey, Alex, you newb, _this_ is how you do the Final Atomic Buster!" Alex and McGrath both turned to look; from the sidelines, Haggar seized an oversized piece of driftwood and pounded it into splinters with a series of air drops. Alex scratched his head, confused. _Since when'd I say I was going for a Final Atomic Buster? They ought to know that my move is the Hyper Bomb._ Haggar threw aside the now-useless piece of driftwood and flexed, showing off his muscles. "And the Cosmic version is even more powerful. Here, watch and learn ... eh, what's a suitable target ... dang it, no more wood ... ah, I'll use Zangief, then!"   
  
"No, comrade, this is how Ultimate Atomic Buster is done!" Zangief seized Haggar instead; as McGrath and Alex watched, befuddled, Zangief turned Haggar upside down and leapt forward, driving the mayor into the sand with a powerful Bear Crusher. McGrath and Alex glanced at each other before shrugging simultaneously. Zangief then proceeded to back drop the hapless ex-mayor and then put Haggar into a flying aerial bomb. Zangief then tossed Haggar high into the air; the ex-mayor of Metro City hung suspended, but only for an instant. Before all the spectators, Zangief jumped after him, seized him, and brutally laid his rival into the ground with a mighty Spinning Pile Driver. "Ha ha ha, nobody can withstand Ultimate Atomic Buster!" Zangief proclaimed.   
  
"What in the name of all that is holy has gotten into them?" Jin screamed into the microphone.   
  
"You're wrong!" Zangief's gleeful expression instantly turned into surprise as Haggar grabbed him from behind. "Your version ... is nothing ... compared to the power of ... the Cosmic Atomic Buster!" So saying, Haggar seized Zangief and jumped, all of his muscles straining as he carried his victim high, high, high out of sight until they disappeared into the clouds floating high above. The sun had just about set. Only the imprint of a sand crater marked where Haggar and Zangief had been but a moment ago. From the sidelines, Jedah and Gill looked at each, then both simultaneously produced a red card - a pause in the action.   
  
McGrath gazed upwards, now thoroughly puzzled. "Where'd they go?"

* * *

_ Stewart Island, New Zealand   
One hour has passed _   
  
"... And that's how I met Samantha," McGrath concluded. He, Alex, Jedah, and Gill all sat by the boundaries of the battlefield, the sun having set long ago. Only the local fireflies and the lights of the camera crews provided any notable illumination. McGrath glanced at his chronometer again; an hour had passed and still those fools hadn't reappeared. He was beginning to wonder if Haggar had somehow reached escape velocity and cleared the gravitational field of the Earth entirely. "After a few years together, I married Samantha. But barely half a year passed before I was nearly killed in a mission. While incapacitated, I handed over command of the strike force to her and I think she's done a rather impressive job. After I recovered, I had to fight again, this time against Dadallent. It was my third battle against him and the most intense of the three. That one battle almost cost my life. And that's how I wasted time before showing up here." McGrath winked at Alex. "You? How's old Tom doing?"   
  
"Well," Alex began, "this is kind of embarassing, but ... aw, what the heck, I'm sure you already know. I, uh, entered the third World Warrior tournament to get revenge on Gill here. You know what I'm talking about, right, Gill? Well, I did advance to the finals, more from luck than skill, and Gill basically threw the match to me. You see, prior to the tournament, Gill had beaten up Uncle Tom. What I refused to hear was that it was a fair fight and thus there was nothing to avenge - I would have none of that. I think ... I think that fight with Gill, more than anything else, exposed my own weaknesses to me. Thanks for the lesson, Gill."   
  
"You are very welcome," Gill replied graciously.   
  
"What are you thinking of?" Jedah prodded McGrath, who was staring intently at nothing in particular.   
  
"The Chaos Prince," McGrath replied softly. "I've faced him three times over a span of four years, but still neither of us has gained a decisive advantage over the other. What I fear ... is ... next time, perhaps, I might not be able to stand up to him anymore. I have no illusions about what I'm capable of; I'm nearing the end of my peak fighting skill, while Dadallent has just come into his. In another five years, I doubt I'll be a match for him. That man is a true warrior, but a dangerous one. He absorbs physical attacks; only energy-based attacks can truly harm him - you know, don't you, Gill?"   
  
The seraph nodded somberly. "Yes. He killed my brother Urien but a year ago. I, too, have faced him and discerned his strength. He is more - or perhaps less - than human. As you mentioned, doctor, this Chaos Prince appears to be semi-invulnerable to physical damage. Yet, perhaps you have noticed ... his spirit shines in the unseen world, brimming with power and passion ..."   
  
"I know," McGrath replied. "But ... he's too dangerous to leave alive. After this tournament, we should put him away. I'll ask Regina for help; he certainly cannot be anywhere near a match for a goddess." _At least I hope he isn't, or else we could be facing some serious trouble._   
  
"Do not presume to trouble the Lady Regina with such an affair, mortal" Gill replied, just a hint of warning in his voice.   
  
McGrath only sighed. "Gill, you really ought to drop the zealous-defender-of-the-goddess role. Regina is perfectly capable of speaking her own heart. You don't need to be defending her honor at every turn; I admire your devotion, but perhaps Regina would be happier if you minded your own business. Obviously I'm not the best person to be saying any of this. Why don't you go ask her, I'm sure she'll give you an honest answer."   
  
"Why, you -!"   
  
"Calm yourselves," Jedah interrupted, cutting in between McGrath and Gill. "Gentlemen, now is neither the time nor the place for a duel to the death." He winked at Alex, who merely knit his brows in confusion. Come to think of it, Gill _was_ playing the role of an overly fanatical guardian of Regina's. _This becomes stranger and stranger. Gill is the self-proclaimed savior of the world, and yet the moment Regina shows up he gets all servile and treats her like a queen. Obviously he respects her very much, but I wonder if it's for her person or her rank? Perhaps ... he even fears her?_   
  
Alex's head snapped up as movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. "Hey, look, they're back!" he called, indicating a portion of the sky. As McGrath, Jedah, and Gill all focused their attention upwards, indeed they saw a shape blazing with the fire of a falling star come hurtling through the atmosphere, forcing its way through layers of clouds. A moment later all four of them were racing towards the prospective crash site. The fiery projectile slammed into the earth, hard. There was an explosion of sand in all directions; when it cleared, Alex found himself staring into a dozen-meter deep crater that had been created by the impact.   
  
Zangief lay at the bottom, clearly knocked out by the impact. As Alex stared, Haggar glanced skywards and gave a shaky thumbs up, his knees obviously about to fail him. "Heh heh heh ... Cosmic ... Atomic ... Buster ..." With that, the ex-mayor's eyes rolled up and he too collapsed next to Zangief, unconscious. Gill shook his head; Jedah merely shrugged and called for the medics.   
  
"Well, resume!" Gill produced a green card, giving the fighters the all-clear.   
  
"No hard feelings, Alex," McGrath said, almost gently, as he walked back onto the battleground.   
  
"None at all, doctor. And give your wife my regards."   
  
"Done." McGrath bowed to Alex, a deep bow to convey his respect for the other fighter. The ensuing match was swift and short; as McGrath stood over his fallen opponent, he looked down at Alex's battered frame. _Hang in there, Alex. You have great spirit, and I'm sure that you'll become quite strong someday if you just don't give up your dreams. But for now ... well, rules are rules. I promise this won't hurt._ McGrath sank his fist into the base of Alex's spine, knocking out the younger fighter in one clean blow. _That won't damage anything permanently. Well, this match is over. It was fun, Alex._   
  
"And the winner is Ernest McGrath!" Jedah announced grandly.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Two hours have passed _   
  
"You know," Ryu commented as he, Sagat, Gouken, and Kirina clustered around a small television, watching a replay of the fight that had just occurred, "I've faced some goofballs in battle before - Dan comes to mind in particular, may he rest in peace - but this is flat-out ridiculous. And I thought my rivalry with Ken was bad." He indicated the television screen where Haggar was in the process of disappearing into the stratosphere with Zangief in tow.   
  
"Nobody really took the fight seriously, except maybe Alex," Sagat observed.   
  
"Bunch of clowns in this here tournament," Kirina sniffed. She stifled a yawn. "Well, I'm off to bed. Goodnight, I'll see everybody in the morning." So saying, she stood up and walked out of the room, bowing as she left. Kirina locked the door behind herself.   
  
"Sleeping early today, huh, Kirina? By the way, how are the fighters coming along anyway?" Ryu asked.   
  
Sagat ticked them off one by one on his fingers. "Mike Haggar and Zangief are still comatose. Alex has recovered - he wasn't even out for a whole minute - but judging from the way McGrath beat him around his body will be sore for a whole week. As for the doctor, he said that he was going to search for the missing girls." Sagat frowned. "It _is_ rather suspicious, when you think about it."   
  
At that moment he was interrupted when somebody banged loudly on the door. "Yo, Ryu!" Ken called, his voice quite distinct. "I forgot my keys, let me in will ya? It's an emergency!" Ryu grumbled, hauled himself upright, and opened the door. The moment the lock clicked, Ken threw the door wide open and bolted inside, nearly knocking Ryu over. "Quick, lock the door!" He suited his own words by slamming the door shut and throwing the lock. A moment later, Ryu heard a number of feet race by the hallway as multiple girls screamed that Ken had gone down this way. He glared at Ken; this scene was quickly becoming a repetitious part of his daily night life.   
  
"Still a womanizer, eh?" Gouken observed.   
  
"Wha - oh, hi, guys." Ken shrugged out of his leather jacket and casually tossed it over a nearby chair. He fell into rather than sat upon the bed and began counting on his fingers. "Look, I can explain. Guile and I were out drinking for the past couple of hours and we lost our way back. I swear that I wasn't drunk, but somehow we both lost our bearings. Ended up in a bar, everybody wanted my autograph. My reputation seems to have gotten ahead of me - anyway, what're you three up to?"   
  
"We're reviewing the match that just occurred," Sagat said, indicating the TV.   
  
"The match that just ... oh, right, it was the Wrestlers' Association versus McGrath. How'd it go? I heard some crazy stuff happened, but I didn't hear exactly what." Ken plopped himself down on his bed and rolled over to gaze at the television. "I heard McGrath won that match, which is a real pity since now my tournament bracket is totally out of whack." _And also because I was hoping to make a move on his wife while he was unconscious, since I didn't get my chance in the mall. Samantha's a drop-dead stunner. Come to think of it, didn't we attend Harvard together at some point in the past? Why the heck didn't I chase after her then?_ Ken scratched his head; something had happened to cut short a promising romance, but he couldn't remember what it had been. He'd have to ask her about it sometime.   
  
Sagat hit the remote and the battle replayed itself. Ken shrugged; it seemed like a normal match to him, all the way up to the point where Haggar and Zangief beat the tar out of each other. He whistled. "Yeah, I've seen some crazy stuff happen before, but this ... this is ... wow. The doctor sure got lucky that match, although ... seems like everybody was holding back up to the end. Haggar and Zangief only really let it loose when they were at each other. Looks like Alex went all-out in the end, but McGrath made that phase of the battle particularly short."   
  
Ken would've said more, but at that moment someone else banged hard on the door, nearly knocking it down. "Hey! It's me, Blake Wallis!" the _Phantom_ yelled. "Is Darrell or Kenneth in there?"   
  
"No!" Ryu called back.   
  
"You know where they are by any chance?"   
  
"No!" Ryu shouted.   
  
"You're a poor liar, Ryu," Blake called back, "but I'll take your answer at surface value for now. If you see either one of them, be sure to say that we're waiting on ground floor for them, okay? We'll be there for another half hour until everybody shows up. Thanks!" He dashed off before anyone else could say anything.   
  
"What do you think _that_ was about?" Ken asked.   
  
Ryu shrugged. "Darned if I know. Probably gathering more search teams to help look for the girls, if I had to guess. I know that McGrath already pulled half of our BEAT bodyguards to join the search. Sakura's worried sick and McGrath is uneasy, too. We were actually scheduled to train together tomorrow, but ... he canceled it, and I can't say that I blame him."   
  
"Anybody ask Regina?" Sagat queried.   
  
"I haven't seen her for a week," Ryu replied. "I know that McGrath and Bison spoke with her last night. From what I heard during breakfast with Bison, Regina traced their spirits all the way to the jewelry shop where Sakura already looked. She was certain that something had happened to the girls there, only that she didn't know what. I went there myself this morning, but I didn't feel anything at all - no spirit traces, nothing. Most of the search teams have been using that jewelry store as a base from which to look around. The BEATs went over the store meticulously but I heard that they haven't found anything either."   
  
"You think something happened?" Sagat asked, the question directed to nobody in particular.   
  
"Wouldn't be surprised," Ken muttered. "This tournament's worse than any other that we've ever been in. The first World Warrior tournament, it was a megalomaniac who wanted to be acknowledged as the mightiest fighter on Earth." Ken ducked gamely as Sagat aimed a kick at his forehead. "The second tournament, it was a mad dictator bent on eliminating his biggest opponents. The third, it was a self-styled god looking to establish Utopia. And now we're dealing with actual gods, who I might add are giving me the creeps. This is why I became an atheist, you see. I believe only in myself." Ken sighed and stared at the television. "I just hope that, wherever they are ... those girls are safe." 


	10. OC Night Out!

**OC Night Out**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** While I haven't been as thorough with my research as I should have been, for now we'll take a break from the carnage and mayhem of the tournament and instead focus on lighter-hearted material. That's right, the OCs. Part of the purpose behind Colliding Worlds is to flesh out the original characters, which is why they come complete with a movelist. Also, during the tournament they'll discuss their own histories. Enjoy.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Fifteen minutes have passed _   
  
"Sorry we're late!" Heads in all directions simultaneously turned as Darrell Markis and Kenneth Feng barreled down the stairs, the latter still in the process of pulling on a leather jacket. Darrell produced a pair of shades and Kenneth a comb. "All set!"   
  
"Sure took your sweet time," Scott Wagner grumbled.   
  
"Anyway, what's going on?" Darrell asked, ignoring Scott. The Senior Airman glowered at him.   
  
"It's original characters' night out!" Mason Storm proclaimed grandly. "Tonight, we're going to show Regina around the town, so Blake and I invited every other OC to come along. We're missing a few, but anyways I'm sure we'll have a grand time." He swept his gaze across the room, including everyone in his speech. Besides himself, he counted ten others present: Kikoken, Kirina, Scott Wagner, Mitsukake Kagatoshi, Yin Lee, Chan Yoruyamatiha, Blake Wallis, Darrell Markis, Kenneth Feng, and of course Regina. Conspicuously absent were McGrath and the _Phantoms_ - probably out looking for the girls. Edgar, too, having volunteered to help in the search. Dadallent was also missing, not that anyone had the thought or the courage to invite _him_. "Well, since we're all here, let's head out. Temperature's a comfortable sixty-five degrees, humidity low, did everyone bring spare cash?"   
  
A chorus of affirmatives met the query. Mason and Blake led the troupe out of their hotel. "Our first stop is the mall, which should be open until midnight," Mason explained. "We get there and everybody go do your thing, but let's meet at fifteen 'til midnight at the entrance, okay?" More affirmatives followed. From some hidden coat pocket Kenneth Feng had produced a bottle of alcohol and was already busy trying to persuade Scott Wagner to share it with him. Regina, dressed in normal, everyday clothes, glanced about herself as she followed the group down a street. Kikoken occupied herself flirting with a highly uncomfortable Mason Storm.   
  
Blake Wallis thumbed his communicator. "Apache to BEAT leader, you slackers still with us?"   
  
"Up 'til you opened your trap, sure." There was a chuckle from the other end. "I hear you loud and clear, Apache. We're currently shadowing you guys, but there's an awful lot of night life around here. You might pass a few friendly Shadowlaw search teams along the way; just yesterday Bison volunteered a whole squad of extra searchers. I know their reputation; still, they seem harmless, at least for now. Anything else you feel needs a mention?"   
  
"How's the traffic situation around the mall?"   
  
"More or less normal. That is to say, thick but not congested to the point of an actual jam. No sign of danger, if that's what you mean, but then you guys stick out like a sore thumb." There was another chuckle from the BEAT captain. "A gringo, a white-haired gaijin, a foreign potsmoker, an aspiring basketball player, a black man, a white girl, and a goddess. So mutually different you could be an IDC squad."   
  
"You're just jealous that I mastered the cultural diversity class," Blake retorted. "Well, if that's it, Apache signing out." He killed the transmission, jammed his hands into his pockets, and whistled to himself as he half-swaggered down the street, the others following closely behind him.   
  
Because of its multiple rivers and waterways, Osaka is sometimes known as the "Venice of Japan." It is in essence a commercial and industrial city, though one filled with rich cultural elements that extend back to Hideyoshi's rule in the late 1500's. Whether by day or night the city is always a busy place, filled with activity and omnipresent traffic problems. Downtown Osaka is situated on the delta of the Yodo River, each and every block boasting multiple-story buildings. Though in recent times many canals have been filled and highways built over them, Osaka is still a very crowded locale. Most of the office complexes, store, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment centers are located downtown. The typical shopping center is actually underground due to the severe land shortage that plagues the city. Commerce is characterized by readily available goods, high prices, and ubiquitous pollution. Despite the presence of buses, commuter trains, and a subway system, the surest way to travel from one place to another in Osaka is on foot.   
  
"Blake."   
  
"Shut up, Darrell."   
  
"The hell?! I haven't even -"   
  
"Dude, cool down, it's just my way of responding to a greeting." Blake turned around and winked at Darrell, a number of colored lights reflecting on his face. "Was there something you wanted to say?"   
  
"Yeah. We're being followed." Darrell glanced around suspiciously before continuing. "Maybe three or four behind us, one ahead, one to the left. They've been with us since we left the hotel."   
  
"Are they armed?"   
  
"Not with anything visible, but I wouldn't be sure." Darrell tried to look left again, but Blake seized his chin and snapped his gaze forward. "Ow! Blake!"   
  
"Quiet! Don't want them to realize that we know we're being followed." Blake frowned and ran his hands down his jacket. He hadn't brought any weapons with him, of course; unlike Lloyd, he was no walking arsenal. "Still, six people against eleven of us, that's pretty stiff odds however you look at it. I don't think we'll be attacked, at least not in public. Or ... they could be mercenaries who wouldn't care about odds or casualties. Then we might have trouble." He might've said more, but a man appeared directly across from himself and pressed against him for a moment. Blake only had sight of him for an instant. It was enough; a series of subtle hand gestures revealed to Blake that this man, too, was a BEAT and that BEAT leader knew about the pursuit. He had also passed an order along: _Maintain radio silence except in case of emergency._   
  
"Well? What do we do?"   
  
Blake shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "Us? Get drunk, get wasted, and get laid. The BEATs can take care of any pursuit. Oh, hey, check this out - this is the store where Karin and Ibuki decided to play hookie."   
  
"Oh, the jewelry store!" Regina stopped walking and gazed at the storefront, everybody else halting beside her. "Have you any objections to my exploring this place?" A chorus of no's came in response; Regina pushed the doors opened and stepped inside, followed by most of the group. Blake, Darrell, and Kenneth decided to remain outdoors.   
  
The store was nearly filled at this in the day, most of the people simply browsing, a select few actually doing business. A pair of policemen and a plainclothes agent were also present, the three of them interrogating a man who looked like the general manager of the store. Upon closer inspection, Mason Storm identified perhaps two or three BEATs in the store, searching for information while trying to appear casual. A reward poster had been hung up on the store doors, offering ten million yen for information leading to the recovery of Karin or Ibuki. It was, of course, sponsored by the Kanzuki conglomerate. Just then the plainclothes agent turned a bit and Mason realized that she was actually Samantha McGrath.   
  
Mason glanced backwards, where Regina and Kikoken were busy working their way up the display cases, all of them full of jewelry. The stuff was extraordinarily expensive, too, considering that nearly all of it was zirconium. Well, somehow you had to turn a profit. Mason shrugged and walked up to the law enforcement officers, nodding to Samantha as he came up. "Evening, Samantha. Find anything?"   
  
"A little, though I do not know if it helps us." Samantha indicated a pile of tapes stacked in the corner of the store and took Mason aside. "The BEATs finished looking at all of the surveillance footage. Neither of the girls appear on any of the tapes at all, but the receptionist who was at the cashier and the jeweler both remember seeing Karin and Ibuki. We interrogated them before we looked at the tapes, so you can imagine the surprise when we didn't see the girls anywhere. As far as the IDC labs can tell, none of these tapes have been tampered with. Still ... I don't know ..."   
  
"You're certain they came in here?" Mason asked.   
  
"I am absolutely positive. Various eyewitness accounts confirm that both girls were here. They must have remained here a long time, but regardless I'm certain that they were here." Samantha sighed in frustration. "A week has passed, so of course the spirit trail is long cold by now. More and more I fear that all we can do now is spread the word and inform as many people as possible of the situation. The tapes defy logic. I am half-convinced that they were doctored, but if so it must have been a thoroughly professional job in order to fool the IDC labs. If you find anything, it does not matter how trivial it may seem, would you bring it to Ernest as soon as - pardon me. Regina!"   
  
"Yes, Samantha?" Regina smiled sweetly and folded her hands in front of her skirt.   
  
Samantha walked up to her, Mason following her. "Last night you mentioned to my husband that you were certain Karin and Ibuki came this way. Can you sense anything?"   
  
Regina nodded. "Oh, certainly. I believe that they remained here for one hour. It appears that both of them tried to exit at the end of the hour, yet ..." Regina led Mason and Samantha to a back exit. The door was not locked. "Here the trail abruptly ends. It is as though they stood here for a fleeting moment and then vanished." She frowned and leaned forward, as if regarding invisible footsteps.   
  
"Couldn't they have retraced their steps back to the front of the store?" Mason asked.   
  
"The spirit traces do not indicate this," Regina replied softly.   
  
Mason felt his jaw drop; a corner of his mind noted that Samantha looked similarly stunned. "Wha -? You can tell by spirit traces after a week has gone by?" Mason half-exclaimed. "That's incredible!"   
  
"Thank you, Mason Storm, for those words," Regina replied. She smiled sweetly but lowered her eyes, a bit shyly, not looking at the two investigators. "Please, take my hands."   
  
Mason did so, a bit hesitantly at first, as did Samantha with Regina's other hand. Regina closed her eyes. As they made contact, instantly it was as though a whole new world had been opened to them. For Mason, it was like opening his eyes and seeing a rainbow after a lifetime spent in blindness. Strange power pulsed through him and he became acutely aware of the spiritual energy all about him - so much that it threatened to drown him. Without having to look or listen, he could pinpoint the location of any person in the room. People shone in his spiritual senses as bright pillars of light, leaving a glowing trail where they had walked. There, right in front of the door! He detected the auras of the two girls, noting that they indeed vanished just short of the door. In fact, if he gauged the distance correctly ... the aura was a bit fuzzy, but ...   
  
Abruptly it all vanished as Regina dropped her hands and folded them again. The spiritual sensitivity faded into nothingness and Mason rubbed his eyes. Now, he understood - Regina simply saw the world in terms that he did not. Unlike McGrath or Ryu, Mason's spiritual sensitivity wasn't honed with any sort of finesse. And while McGrath or Ryu were acute enough to glimpse into the spirit world, Mason realized that they only caught traces of it, instead of seeing the panorama in the way that Regina viewed everything. Mason shook his head clear. "Wow ... just, wow ... what do you make of it?"   
  
Samantha studied the door with a contemplative look. "Correct me if you see a flaw in my logic, but ... I believe that they walked here, slowly, then Ibuki opened the door. She moved it to about forty-five degrees - far enough that both she and Karin could see outside - and that is when the spirit traces vanish. I wonder what could have caused them to disappear so abruptly." She glanced at Regina.   
  
She shook her head and looked down slightly. "I am sorry, but I sense nothing."   
  
"Please do not be so hard on yourself," Samantha replied softly, and Mason realized with a start that Regina was blaming herself for her inability to do more. Score one for women's intuition. "I will go search out back. Regina, thank you for your help tonight, but please do not inconvenience yourself any longer. Enjoy yourself while the night is still young. Here." She handed Regina an IDC communicator device and tapped her own. "Be sure to give me a call later tonight should you need me." So saying, Samantha pulled the door open and slipped out the back. Mason noted that the door slowly swung back into place once Samantha released its handle. It closed with a barely audible click.   
  
"What did she intend ...?" Regina asked, puzzled, as she studied the IDC communicator. It looked like a cellular phone and probably was one for all practical purposes.   
  
"Beats me," Mason replied. Glancing back, he noted that most of the group had already left the building. Yin was making a purchase by the counter. "Well, shall we go? After you, Regina."   
  
"Mason."   
  
"Yes?"   
  
"Thank you ... thank you for bringing me out here tonight."   
  
"Ah, think nothing of it. It was actually Blake's idea, show you around the town, that sort of thing." He pulled the door open for her. "Everybody here? Sorry about the delay, Samantha McGrath was inside and I wanted to get caught up on how the investigation was coming along."   
  
"She find anything?" half a dozen voices asked.   
  
"Not that I can see," Mason replied, shrugging his broad shoulders. Kikoken reattached herself to his arm as Mason turned down the street. "Well, let's go."   
  
They reached the mall without further incident. "It's ten o' clock right now," Mason announced. "Meet back here at fifteen 'til midnight, and no misbehaving. That means you, Kenneth!"   
  
"Oh, can it." Kenneth swaggered off, followed by Darrell and Blake. "I'm heading off to the food court, join me if you'd like." He grumbled under his breath about the non-smoking policy. The group dispersed in all directions, going off in ones and twos and threes. Left with Kikoken, Mason suggested the downstairs food court for ice cream and Kikoken enthusiastically agreed.   
  
Fifteen minutes later, when the last order had been processed, Blake Wallis picked idly at a plastic box filled with Chinese takeout. "Chinese food, again," he groaned. "I was aiming for the Thai cuisine, but I can never tell the difference between all these Oriental chicken-scratches that they call writing." Mason rolled his eyes; Blake enjoyed the food and they all knew it. "Stuff is horrible," Blake pronounced after a bite, but he had more regardless.   
  
"Can't be all that bad, a billion people eat Chinese every night," Darrell pointed out.   
  
"It's overrated," Kenneth threw in. "However, that doesn't mean that it's bad. Man! I'd sell my soul for a smoke right now."   
  
"Smoking's bad for your health," Blake ribbed.   
  
"Yeah, I know. But do I care?" Kenneth sighed and looked around himself. "Well, I didn't come here to shop. Leave that up to the women. How'd you guys end up in this crazy tournament, anyways?"   
  
"Personal invitation from a friend of mine," Kikoken replied.   
  
"I'm on assignment," Blake grumbled good-naturedly. "I'd much rather be at the beach right now."   
  
"Well, my wife's here," Darrell pointed out.   
  
"Bored and curious," Mason contributed.   
  
Silence followed for a few minutes, until Kikoken finished her ice cream. "Let's share. I want to know more about everyone." She was looking at Mason when she said that.   
  
Kenneth shrugged and pushed away a platter of stir-fried chicken. "Yeah, why not? I'll lead off. Hmm, where to begin ...?" He stared into space for a moment, then brightened. "Okay. I grew up in Japan as a kid, on the streets, for as far back as I can remember. My memory only begins at about six years old; I don't remember anything before that, but I've been able to piece together events by talking with Uncle Ken and some of the others. You see, my dad was a Shadowlaw scientist. He was the director and chief engineer of SCI, the Shadow Cyborg Initiative. I won't pretend to understand how it works. Somewhere along the line he must've developed something of a conscience, since he tried to vanish from Shadowlaw with the Shadow technology. That didn't work; Bison had him executed, but failed to find the Shadow chips. You see, my dad had implanted them in my body. This all happened before I was six, by the way.   
  
"Once Bison realized his mistake, he dispatched agents to track me down. At that time I lived on the streets with my best friend Cranky, who is currently studying for the bar exam. We were a pair of street rats and pickpockets, the scum of society. Luckily, I met Ken Masters during this time. When Bison's agents did manage to kidnap me, Ken and Sakura followed them to Thailand." Darrell smiled, showing his teeth. "You all know how that particular battle went - Bison beat the stuffing out of Ken and Sakura. Probably would've killed them, too, if Sagat hadn't been around to snap Ryu out of the brainwashing. Good riddance, I say." Darrell was no longer smiling.   
  
"That bought me some time, since Bison was occupied with his fights. Sometime later Rose came by and really messed Bison up in a battle. Then there was the whole Doll episode, along with the attack by the American Vigilantes. I managed to escape just before the Thailand base blew up, but ... whatever the Shadowlaw scientists did to me, it had cost my memories of everything before this point, and I'm telling the story exactly as I heard it from Ken and a few others. Well, I was a six-year-old stranded in Thailand. I must've passed out soon afterwards; when I woke up, three days later, I was in America under the guardianship of one Ken Masters, with no knowledge of my past. I never did meet Uncle Ken again until a year ago, when I went to college." He chuckled slightly at the memory. "I had no idea that he was the famous Ken Masters, action movie star.   
  
"By the time Uncle Ken received his invitation to the tournament, Ryu had already signed up a team. That left Ken without any close friends for the tournament and Mel isn't old enough to fight in an event like this anyway, so he tapped me. At first, I was going to refuse - heck, I go to a tough college - but then he mentioned that Bison would also be there. You can imagine that this bit of information troubled me to no end. I agreed to show up with Ken and here I am. I've kept in touch with Cranky over the years." Kenneth pressed his palms together and rested his chin on his hands. "Well, that's my story. Truckload of junk, wasn't it?" He said something unprintable about his father and M. Bison and life in general.   
  
(_A/N: Kenneth's backstory was heavily edited to reconcile it with the established storyline._)   
  
"Well, I can't say that I went through the same type of experiences," Blake said. "I grew up kinda like you, Kenneth, with one big difference: I was part of a close-knit and tightly supportive family. My father immigrated from Ireland to the States when I was just a wee little toddler. I never knew my mother; she died shortly after childbirth, you see. That left only my dad Timothy, my big sister Ryce, and of course myself. Well, before you knew it we'd run out of money. Heck, for as far back as I can remember I grew up on the streets, always scrounging for money and every last scrap of food a person could find. I learned my guns and knives before I learned my ABCs, that's how rough the neighborhood was. Learned how to keep myself intact in a scrap, too, at an early age. They don't call us the 'fighting Irish' for nothing.   
  
"Now, you'd think that we'd be miserable like this, but nope. My dad saw to it that my sister and I got a proper schooling despite the way we grew up. He raised us up properly: no drinking, no smoking, no drugs, no swearing, none of the stuff that makes life enjoyable. We were perpetually short of money and food but still a happy family nonetheless. Of course, nothing good ever lasts. When I was about seventeen or so years old, my father and my sister were both gunned down by a gang. I wasn't there to actually see it since I was down at the police station answering a drug charge. By the time they let me go, my dad and my sister were already several hours dead. That event broke my heart, which is why I don't have any left.   
  
"The state paid for the funeral. As luck would have it, right afterwards I was nearly killed by the same gang, apparently out for my blood, too. Now, any Irishman my age will tell you, you so much as look at the folks improperly and you better sleep with one eye open. I lived for vengeance. Four years later, after I'd exacted my revenge, I was recruited by the IDC. Even in the IDC, though, I was always a behavioral case - Dr. McGrath says I set a new record for the number of black marks earned in boot camp. IDC training, by the way, is hell. Boot camp lasts for a full year and if they don't kill you they'll turn you into one heck of a soldier. Much later, McGrath specifically requested me as a member of the _Phantom_ strike force. Must've been my good looks." Kikoken grimaced.   
  
"As a _Phantom,_ I got to participate in all sorts of operations judged too dangerous for a normal team. I also hold the strike force record for greatest number of close escapes from death as well as the most bones broken in the line of duty, seventy-one. About New Year's last year, our strike force was gathering critical information leading up to the final stages of preparation for the biggest operation the IDC had ever taken, Operation Judgment. Dr. McGrath was nearly killed during that particular mission and had to sit out Operation Judgment. As for me, I was almost killed during the operation itself - Lloyd and I had to fight the top soldier of the United Front, you see. As if that hadn't been enough, next year comes by and we have to fight a full-fledged war against the United States." Blake paused for a moment, but no explanation was needed. Mason nodded; he knew about the legendary War of Ascendancy, the war that had wiped out two full American land corps and then some, as well as effectively cutting the IDC's strength in half. They all knew about the war, instigated because high-ranking American officials had been convinced that the IDC was a terrorist organization. And while the loss of a pair of field armies was bad enough, worse was the revelation that it had been a terrible mistake, as the IDC was nothing of a terrorist organization at all. "My injuries put me out of action for a month. Next thing you know, I've been invited to some tournament," Blake concluded. "You, Mason?"   
  
"Me?" Mason finished the last traces of his ice cream and set the cup aside. "Well, you've probably heard the story before, but ... when I was only seven years old, Bison executed my family. My dad, apparently, worked for Shadowlaw and decided that he didn't like it there. Bison missed me during the attack, though. FBI agent Duke Marshall adopted me and he's been an exemplary role model. I followed him into law enforcement and I was there behind the scenes when the American Vigilantes went after Bison. After the second World Warrior tournament, when we were convinced that Bison was gone for good, I decided to lay back a bit and take an office job. Like you, Kenneth, I was brought here mainly by the rumor that Bison had returned."   
  
"Oh, Mason, you're so brave," Kikoken gushed.   
  
Darrell and Kenneth glanced at each other before the former pointed out, "You know, he's married."   
  
Kikoken sprang back from Mason as though his skin had burned her. "What?! You're married? Mason Storm, how could you betray me like that?! Why didn't you mention that you ... you were married? I ... I had feelings ..." She choked back her tears while Mason could only stare, too surprised to say anything, noting resentfully that Darrell and Kenneth had doubled over with silent laughter behind Kikoken's back. "I love you, Mason ... but you betrayed that love ... like a rose that blooms in the wintertime, so cruelly swept away by the elements ... _et tú, Bruté?_" she shouted. A moment later she fled from the table, tears streaming down her face.   
  
"Talk about an overreaction ..." Darrell began.   
  
He was abruptly cut off when Mason reached across the table, seized the front of his shirt, and pulled him to within an inch of an unsmiling face. "You bastard," Mason growled in a low voice, "what the heck did you think you were doing?"   
  
"Hey, I just wanted to see how she'd react!" Darrell protested.   
  
Mason shoved him backwards, hard, and Darrell nearly fell over his chair, caught by Blake and Kenneth at the last moment. "Hmph. Kids like you ... I'm going after her, to apologize on your behalf." Mason rose without another word, only pausing to throw away his empty ice cream cup and Kikoken's. Then he stormed out of the food court without so much as a backward glance. All three of the men left at the table watched him leave with mixed feelings.   
  
Darrell scratched his head. "You think it was something I said?"   
  
"No, I think it's the way you look," Blake threw in. When Darrell shot him a black glare, Blake continued, "To be serious, think about it, Darrell. You had to have realized that your offhand remark could ruin a promising romance, and unfortunately it did. Some things are safe to joke about, others aren't. For example, would you ever tease your wife about her weight?" The ensuing silence was all the answer that Blake needed. "I got to give you credit, though, for separating the Siamese twins. Ten dollars says that Kikoken will give Mason the tongue-lashing of his life before he can explain that he isn't married at all."   
  
"C'mon, guys, let's break," Kenneth suggested after a moment's pause. They disposed of their items and together they ambled away leisurely. "See anything interesting?"   
  
Blake consulted his chronometer. "Not to my eyes. Well, it's eleven o' clock right now, why don't we go to the rendezvous point? Nothing else here to do." Neither Darrell nor Kenneth had any better ideas, so they picked their way towards the entrance of the mall. "Huh, Regina, you here already?"   
  
"Oh, good evening." Regina nodded a greeting towards the three men. She was sitting outside on one of the benches located just above ground, a bird perched on her hand. "I trust you all enjoyed yourselves?"   
  
Blake cleared his throat. "Say, Regina, I've been thinking -"   
  
"What a novelty," Darrell interjected.   
  
Without a pause in his stride, Blake flung his right arm up and nearly broke Darrell's nose. "I've been thinking that we can't have you go around talking like that. You sound like a textbook on old-fashioned languages. I mean no offense when I say this, but you do stick out like a sore thumb. It'd be nicer if you'd talk more like us - it draws less attention." Behind Blake, Darrell swore in three different languages.   
  
"Is that so?" Regina queried, eyes wide with interest. She looked away for a moment, said something to the bird, and then sent it flying away. "Please, tell me more."   
  
By this time Kenneth had also picked up on Blake's train of thought. "Well, to begin with, you could try saying 'Hi' or 'Hello' instead of the more formal 'Good evening.' Blake's right, you'll probably want to fit in more with the group and you can start by adjusting the way you talk." He glanced around, just to make sure that Gill wasn't somehow eavesdropping and taking offense. "We think it'd suit you."   
  
"Truly?" Regina smiled. "Then I shall try my best."   
  
"No, no no!" Darrell cut in. "That's exactly what we're trying to avoid. Say something like ... 'Alrighty then!' Go on, try it."   
  
"A - alrighty, then!" Regina acknowledged. She giggled a moment later as Blake flashed a thumbs up and Kenneth exchange a high-five with Darrell. "So, tell me, how is it that you talk?"   
  
They spent the next half hour coaching Regina on speaking "like a citizen of the Earth," in Kenneth's words. "You're getting better and better," Darrell noted approvingly.   
  
"Thanks for the compliment," Regina replied, flashing a brilliant smile.   
  
"There's a difference between conversational language and low-level language, though I'm sure you know the difference," Blake added. "Me, for example, I only speak two languages, namely bad English and worse English. Darrell here speaks English and Ebonics and also has a working knowledge of Japanese. Kenneth I'm less clear about. Just two things: First, remember to obey all the rules of proper grammar. Us three, we're beyond hope when it comes to that. And second, don't cuss. A guy who swears is cool, but a girl who does it isn't. If there's -"   
  
At that moment, Blake was distracted by the sound of a metallic object landing with a heavy clunk to his left. _Probably someone dropped an unopened can of Coke,_ he thought to himself, but upon second glance - "Get down!" He suited his own words by tackling Regina and bringing her to the ground. A moment later, the canister exploded in a flash of light that blinded everyone for a moment, as well as numbing the ears of all present with a deafening peal of sound. Blake was shouting without really hearing what he was saying. Blasted flash-bang grenades. A moment later a bullet ricocheted from a tile just an inch from his face. Blake spun around, searching for the nearest cover. A quick glance confirmed that Darrell and Kenneth were also very much alive. He vaulted over a brick wall and pulled the other three after him, his hearing and vision both gradually returning. He fumbled for a moment, then swore lividly. The IDC communicator issued to him had apparently been crushed in his dive.   
  
"Here!" Regina tossed her own communicator at him, Blake dimly aware that she was nearly shouting. Then, in a confused voice, "What do they want?"   
  
"Darned if I know!" Blake shouted back, barely audible over the zing of bullets flying past. Now that he thought about it, he'd picked a terrible hiding spot where they were essentially trapped between a wall and a ledge with a semicircle of attackers in front of them. And to top it all off, he was totally unarmed. "BEAT leader, this is Apache! We're pinned down in front of the mall and taking heavy fire. Three friendlies along with me here. We need whatever you can throw together and we need it fast!"   
  
"I'd love to help you, Apache, but I'm kinda busy myself," the BEAT replied in a terse tone. Blake frowned; he couldn't tell if the sound of flying bullets was coming from the communicator or from all around him. The BEAT confirmed his guess a moment later. "We're under fire, too, it'll take us at least twenty minutes to extricate ourselves and hightail to your position. Maybe Starcrash or Keychain will have some backup. BEAT leader, out."   
  
Blake swore, glancing back where Kenneth and Darrell crouched. A number of bullets littered the ground around them and more dropped in as Blake frantically raised another channel. Calling McGrath was out of the question - he was near the suburbs last Blake heard, and it would take him half an hour to arrive - but maybe Samantha could be reached in time, if she hadn't left the jewelry store. "Keychain, this is Apache. Respond, blast it!"   
  
"Keychain acknowledging," came Samantha's firm voice. "How many?"   
  
Blake chanced a glance over the protective brick wall. "Five or six, armed with knives and automatic weapons. We're just outside the mall and BEAT leader says that he's pinned down, too." He swore as a bullet nearly clipped him.   
  
"On my way. I should arrive with three full teams in five minutes. Keychain out." The communicator died away and Blake crouched low. Then he abruptly realized that Regina's eyes were focused on the situation and she had her hands held in some sort of gesture. "Regina, you ...?"   
  
"This shield will deflect any bullets that come our way," Regina assured him.   
  
The shooting abruptly ceased, leaving only a quiet broken by faint screaming in the distance. Probably some nearby civilians, Blake reasoned to himself. He peeked over the brick wall. "Blast it, they're coming in with knives. Four commandos in front, two about thirty meters behind them ready to offer support fire. Although, hmm ... Darrell, Kenneth, you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"   
  
Darrell cracked his knuckles. "Haven't had a good brawl for a long time."   
  
"Right." Blake winked.   
  
"Um, what are you three planning to ...?" Regina began.   
  
"Don't worry about us." Blake's eyes now held a dangerous glint. "Stay here, just make sure that your shield deflects anything that comes from the outside, okay?"   
  
"Alrighty, then. Be careful."   
  
The nameless commandos had nearly reached the scene when Blake, Darrell, and Kenneth simultaneously vaulted over the brick wall. Though caught by surprise, they reacted with admirable efficiency. Blake swung with a heavy kick, missing his target but landing softly in a crouch. "These two are mine! Pick your targets and sic 'em, boys!" So saying, he ducked a tightly-controlled slash and his leg shot out, clipping one of the commandos by the knees. A moment later, Kenneth launched a Whipcrack Kick through the window that Blake had just cleared. It landed solidly on the commando; unfortunately, someone slashed at him from behind and Kenneth's back instantly began to bleed. It wasn't a serious wound, but it did effectively stop the momentum of the attack. "Hey, find your own victims!" Blake shouted indignantly.   
  
"Sheesh, see if I help you again!" Kenneth shot back, ducking a high swing. He tried to step back but bumped into Darrell and the commando went in for the kill, landing a heavy blow squarely on Kenneth's jaw. "Bastard."   
  
Darrell, for his part, had a commando all to himself. They traded half a dozen blows, Darrell managing to hit his opponent with a solid uppercut at the cost of a pair of slashes on his arms. His position was bad and both he and his opponent realized it. The commando came in hard and fast, trying to get him to bump into Kenneth again. "Hadouken!" Darrell launched an energy wave from his hands; the commando rolled under it and Darrell tried for an ax kick, only to have his supporting leg swept from behind by another commando. He swore and rolled himself upright. _Gotta stick to the basics, that's what Ryu and McGrath always say. Don't try anything fancy._ When the commando attempted to rush him, however, Darrell succumbed to the urge. _Heh heh heh, fool, I wonder how you'll like my Rekka Nakkura?_   
  
He slid forward a little to meet his opponent and succeeded in grabbing his foe at close range, intending to beat the daylights out of the commando with one of his super techniques. He began with a heavy punch right in the stomach; simultaneously, the commando's knife located his ribs and his enemy stabbed mercilessly. The shock of the attack nearly knocked Darrell out. His vision swam for a moment, but now that he'd started his attack he couldn't call it off. Darrell dropped and aimed a fast kick, his muscles screaming in protest, then turned around and impaled his enemy on his flaming sword. He'd have to cut the attack short - he was already beginning to move slowly - but it was enough. Darrell pressed his palms against his opponent's chest, at the same time fighting back the agonizing pain through sheer force of will. A moment later his palms exploded in fire, sending the commando tumbling backwards scorched beyond recognition. Darrell cursed and reached for the knife buried in his side, at the same time noting that the two commandos set to lay down cover fire had broken from their positions and were coming in to help. _I won't be able to take both of them at once, not like this. Where the heck is our backup?!_ He wrenched the knife free, gasping as the blade came loose. Blood immediately began to pour down his expensive silk shirt.   
  
Blake took in the situation with one glance. Kenneth Feng had also disposed of his opponent, though he looked badly beaten. Blake himself had already dispatched one of his foes. He was accustomed to close quarter, short-range combat and he focused on his one remaining assailant. He'd taken half a dozen slashes that had left him bloody; on the other hand, his opponent was suffering from a broken arm and several cracked ribs. When the commando tried to parry a close range punch with a slash from his knife, Blake zero cancelled the move into his Wolf Tackle, seizing his opponent by the waist and then going into an aerial back drop. He landed the commando on his neck; there was a most satisfying crunch as the spine gave way.   
  
But there was barely any time to think, for the other two commandos were nearly upon them. Blake put his back to Kenneth and Darrell. Loss of blood was beginning to make him unsteady, but he was aware that both of his friends were worse off. The commandos split apart, one of them circling to his left and the other to his right. Blasted enemies; they were certainly well-trained. He didn't recognize any telltale insignias. He designated the man to the right as his target; if Darrell and Kenneth could hold out long enough, he could take both of the commandos separately.   
  
Kenneth staggered to his feet as the commando came by, brandishing a wicked-looking knife. He blocked an initial strike and retaliated with a frontal kick. Apparently his opponent had anticipated the response, for the next moment Kenneth found himself caught by the shoulders. The commando tripped him and laid him on the ground, but Kenneth had a response ready. _Heck, McGrath did it just a few hours ago in his own match, why shouldn't I?_ Even as Kenneth fell to the ground, he caught the commando's shoulders and pulled the man into a circle throw, levering his opponent over himself. The effort strained his muscles and he was acutely aware of the pain over his whole body. With a last, mighty effort, Kenneth threw all the force he could summon into the pull and sent the commando flying. His foe's arc was halted in midair when Darrell slashed at him with a flaming blade in mid-flight. The commando dropped to the ground, permanently.   
  
Having dealt with his opponent, Darrell glanced to his right, but there was no need for concern. Even as he watched, Blake yelled "Game over!" and rushed the commando with a storm of close-range punches and kicks. The commando blocked; however, he guard-crushed after the sixth hit and a few seconds later it was all over. Blake shook his head clear and sank to his knees. He was covered in blood, most of it his own.   
  
"Are you alright?!" Regina cried, emerging from behind the brick wall and running to the three fighters.   
  
"No, wait -!" Blake called weakly. Regina had stopped just in front of Darrell and Kenneth, but Blake's eyes had caught more movement on the periphery. There, from the parking lot ... as he watched, twenty or more commandos emerged, each armed to the teeth with automatic weapons. Regina glanced up and froze like a deer caught in headlights. Blake swore at the change in fortune with all his heart. _Samantha, you're too late,_ he thought to himself as the commandos opened fire. He closed his eyes.   
  
The bullets ran into an invisible barrier and slid to the ground, harmless. Glancing up, Kenneth and Darrell both saw that Regina had placed herself in front of them, arms held out and palms open. They could both sense the power that she had woven around them; as each bullet hit her shield, it caused a small ripple of color and then dropped to the ground with an inaudible clink. The noise of the automatic weaponry was deafening. Kenneth and Darrell both winced as the commandos lobbed a few grenades their way, but apparently Regina's defense held up against that, too. Smoke from the explosives obscured the view for a few moments.   
  
Suddenly, another explosion of smoke occurred, this one easily larger than all the rest. A hot wind swept across all four of them and blinded Darrell for a moment. The gunfire abruptly ceased, too. _Must be the IDC reinforcements. They sure took long enough. But I don't hear any sound of combat at all._ Then the smoke drifted away on a random wind gust and he realized that the explosion hadn't been caused by IDC forces at all. The commandos beyond Regina were also staring. That figure, in the clearing smoke ... Darrell willed himself to disbelieve what his eyes were telling him. As he recognized exactly who it was, the cold grip of fear seemed to constrict ever more tightly around his consciousness. The man's back was turned but his image was unmistakable from any angle. "D-Dadallent?!"   
  
"The grim reaper has come for you," Dadallent stated coldly. 


	11. Match IV: Strike Force Phantom vs Team F...

**Match 1-4: Strike Force _Phantom_ vs. Team Final Fight**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Finally, an update. I had some trouble with this chapter and basically decided to write it up from scratch. Enjoy. (runs away before his readership can murder him)   
  
**Noctorro:** Thanks for the continued support. But I really do wish that I had more material to work with - the tier list is in an absolute shamble right now.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
About the same time _  
  
"The grim reaper has come for you," Dadallent stated coldly.   
  
Darrell and Kenneth both started. They both knew that Regina was a goddess, of course, but at first glance she seemed much less formidable than the dread Chaos Prince. Blake Wallis felt his mouth dry up completely. If McGrath's battle reports were anything to judge by, the three of them would have no chance fighting against the man unless Regina had some tricks of her own. They were good fighters, all of them, but he was much, much better. And they were badly beaten, too ... Blake was already calculating what he could afford to lose in order to get away. He could hotwire a car in thirty seconds; the question was whether the three friends could hold Dadallent back long enough for them to make good their escape. Blake glanced at Darrell and Kenneth and decided that they'd be lucky to last half the time. Then Regina spoke and the calculations went out of the window.   
  
"Thank you for coming," she said. Blake stared at Regina; they all did. Were the two of them in league to ...?   
  
And then the commandos opened fire, breaking the silence that had ensued with the arrival of the Chaos Prince. A dim part of Darrell's mind became aware, through the haze of the throbbing pain in his side, that the bullets were now aimed at Dadallent. Tracer trails scorched through the air, highlighting the path of the bullets. The Chaos Prince's body erupted in a gruesome spray of blood and gore as the automatic rounds tore through his body, leaving gaping holes. But he said nothing, only circled his arms and crossed them in front of himself in a locked X shape. His back was still turned to the four friends; some of the bullets went cleanly through his body but thankfully Regina's shield blocked all of them. A mess of blood was rapidly forming at Dadallent's feet. The commandos finished by lobbing a trio of grenades at the man and he once more vanished in smoke.   
  
As abruptly as it began, the firing ceased and gave way to an eerie silence. From the side, Blake Wallis shambled to Kenneth and Darrell, his IDC communications device still in hand. All three of them had previously suffered nasty wounds in a close-quarters fight with more of the same commandos. Blake muttered something about how his missions always turned out like this. He and Kenneth helped Darrell into a lying position and went about stanching the flow of blood. "Backup'll be here any minute now," Blake rasped, pausing for a moment to spit blood to the side. "Just hold up until then, the hospital's not too far away from here." He glanced up as the smoke cleared and nearly suffered a heart attack, unable to comprehend what he saw. "What?! No way!"   
  
Dadallent was still standing. Much of his outfit had been blasted into scraps of cloth, but his sword remained sheathed on his back, completely intact. His left arm had been blown cleanly off his shoulder and lay useless half a dozen meters away. Blood poured out from half a hundred bullet holes in his body; Blake could see right through a particularly large hole where his right lung should have been, a three inch wound that let in light from the other side. The Chaos Prince stood very still, showing no movement at all. Most of his blood had puddled in a swamp of flesh and gore at his feet; what little of his skin was still visible appeared very pale.   
  
"As I said, the grim reaper is here for you," Dadallent stated softly.   
  
Then he moved. The attack came so quickly that Blake's eyes barely registered all of it. Dadallent brought his right arm across his chest, a white glow playing off his fingertips. Then he twisted his body back in a clockwise slash. As his fingers came to their extreme range, the light suddenly flew off of them and arced towards the parking lot in an enormous blade of energy. There was a flash of brightness that blinded Blake. It faded a moment later and as Blake's eyes readjusted to the night lighting he could only stare in disbelief at the scene in front of him. Dadallent had dropped his hand down to his right side. Beyond him, the parking lot was a complete disaster area. The blade of light had apparently sheared through everything in its path; each commando's chest had been sliced from his torso, the cut so fine that the two pieces slid apart with no resistance. Blood geysered out of each soldier as more than twenty bodies crumpled to the ground. At a second, more detailed glance, Blake noticed that the cars had also been sliced apart.   
  
Fear struck deep into the hearts of the three men as Dadallent turned around. At least a quarter of his flesh was entirely gone; the rest hung in tatters down his body, accompanying the river of blood that even now dripped from his frame. He looked more like a zombie than a human, if he were human to begin with. The bloodsoaked blindfold prevented any of them from seeing his eyes. "Regina, are you injured?" Dadallent asked softly.   
  
"I - I'm f-fine, th-thank you," Regina stammered.   
  
Dadallent said nothing else, only turned around again to regard his handiwork, as still and emotionless as a statue. After a short pause, Regina led the energy shield fade away and turned to regard the three men. "I'm sorry ... you suffered because of me," she said quietly. Tears materialized in her eyes, but she held them back for the moment as she extended her arms. A warm, radiant glow came from her palms; looking down, Darrell, Kenneth, and Blake saw to their astonishment that their wounds were closing up right before their very eyes. Vitality surged through their bodies. As the healing process finished, Regina smiled in elation, blinking back her tears. "Thank goodness. Dadallent -"   
  
"Don't worry about me."   
  
Regina studied him more closely, as did the three men. Despite his condition, he certainly didn't move as though he were injured. A moment later, they all heard the droning of a motorcycle from the right. Darrell and Kenneth turned to look; Blake, who had already guessed who it was, kept his gaze fixed on Dadallent. As they watched, a headlight came into view and Samantha McGrath followed a moment later, zooming into the parking lot on an IDC recon cycle. "Has the battle ended so quickly?"   
  
"You're late, Samantha."   
  
"My sincerest apologies," Samantha replied as a dozen more recon cycles roared into the parking lot. Actually, for its size the IDC recon cycle was a surprisingly quiet vehicle. It was a motorcycle and more, with an inch of armored steel plating that completely covered its front and forward sides. About half a foot behind the rider a pair of rocket launchers were mounted on what looked like two fins, both of which jutted up sharply, thus placing the warhead launchers on either side of and slightly behind the rider's helmet. Blake's experience with the recon cycle reminded him that they could break the two hundred fifty kilometer per hour mark if necessary. In all the recon cycles presented a sleek, efficient look. They'd proven their worth as vehicle killers in the War of Ascendancy a few months ago.   
  
Blake was about to ask why Samantha hadn't arrived sooner when more vehicles approached: all-terrain humvees, each one with the well-known Shadowlaw insignia inscribed on them. So that explained it, the IDC soldiers were traveling in a convoy. _Pretty smart, Samantha, not taking any chances. You must've figured that they had backup._ As the vehicles ground to a halt and personnel spilled out, Blake realized that Illuminati agents were also present. And in the foremost vehicle, wearing a suit and tie that could barely contain his bulging muscles ... "So Gill came by, too. Interesting."   
  
"My lady Regina!" Gill called, running as quickly as he could. "Are you unharmed?!" Then, as he caught sight of the stock-still Chaos Prince, he skidded to a halt and glared at Dadallent. "Why, you -!"   
  
"Thank you for your concern, but please don't worry about me, Gill," Regina said hastily as she saw Gill sink into a fighting stance. "Dadallent actually saved us all."   
  
"Verily?" Gill paused for a moment, then turned and bowed to the Chaos Prince. "Pardon me, I appear to have misjudged you. Please accept my deepest apologies."   
  
"This place seems safe, at least for now," Dadallent told Regina, completely ignoring Gill in the process. "Call for me again if you need my services." He bowed to Regina - not a cursory bow or a mocking one, but a deep gesture that indicated genuine respect - and vanished in a haze of smoke and blood. Only the carnage scattered everywhere served to marked his passage.   
  
Behind Gill, Samantha occupied herself issuing orders. "Search carefully, there may be survivors to interrogate. Take away each body and run the standard analysis on unknown enemies. BEAT leader, report on your current situation." She held up the communicator to her ear and listened. Apparently she was satisfied with whatever BEAT leader said as she issued no orders for his reinforcement. "Very well, come to the mall at the earliest time possible. I will debrief you there."   
  
"What the heck ...?" Turning around, Blake and Darrell saw Mason Storm and Kikoken racing through the mall entrance. Now that he actually had time to look, Kenneth Feng noticed that the front of the mall, which was barricaded mostly with glass, had been completely shattered. Spent bullets littered the grounds. "What happened here?" Mason demanded, pulling short near his friends. Though he was accustomed to seeing bloody scenes in the street, Mason turned somewhat pale at the carnage in front of himself.   
  
Blake sighed. "It's a long story, Mason. Get the others together and I'll tell you about it on the way back."   
  
Mason muttered inaudibly under his breath; however, he did turn around and comply with the request. Fifteen minutes later everyone was present at the front of the mall entrance. Samantha detailed an escort of BEATs and Illuminati agents for the group, then sped off on the recon cycles with her remaining soldiers. At Regina's request, Gill went ahead of everyone else to report to Bison and McGrath on what had happened. "Well, so much for OC night out," Mason observed drily. "Now, what exactly happened?"   
  
Blake finished the story as the group arrived at the hotel, with occasional comments thrown in by Darrell, Regina, and Kenneth. There was a long silence as each person filed into the hotel. "Hmph ... saved by Dadallent? This doesn't sound like him at all," Mason commented at last. "So Regina sent a mental distress signal to Gill but also reached Dadallent, and the Chaos Prince showed up first. I still wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him." He and Blake took a pair of chairs to the side, the others dispersing to their rooms. Mason cynically noted that Darrell and Kenneth had already begun to boast about how they'd taken all six commandos, with both hands tied behind their backs. "And who exactly were those people?"   
  
Blake threw his hands in the air. "Beats me. I think we can automatically rule out the IDC or the Illuminati. Normally I'd suspect Shadowlaw - the attack was aimed at Regina, after all - but the tactics don't match up. So no clue." He shook his head as if trying to clear it. "I thought Dadallent had come to kill _us_, but ... dunno. We wouldn't have put up much of a fight if he had."   
  
Mason swore lividly. "Somebody wants us dead, that's for sure. Good thing that you didn't kill all of your attackers; when they come to, we should be able to ... process ... them for answers." Mason sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then stood to his feet. Blake followed suit a moment later. "Well, I'm heading off to bed. It's real late now and I suggest you do the same."   
  
"No kidding." On the third floor, they ran into a distressed-looking Yin Lee. "Hey hey hey, Yin, what's the matter?"   
  
"Look at what I just found," she answered. Yin waved a sheet of paper and handed it to Mason, who began to read aloud. "Let's see ... 'Dear sister Yin, Yang and I were just called home by the village elders. They said that it was an emergency. While we don't have all the details, it seems that a new gang has moved close by and is trying to extort protection fees. We're heading back to kick some butt, be sure to join us as soon as you can. Our flight number is 834, we leave Tokyo International at 11:40 PM, and we'll give you a call tomorrow morning. Signed, Yun Lee.' Where'd you find this, Yin?"   
  
"It was slipped under my door," Yin replied. "They were still here when we left for the mall a couple of hours ago. I went by the room that they shared, and it's been completely cleaned out. The receptionist has their keys and Jill said that she'd seen them leave. But this is completely irrational - they should have at least let me know before running off."   
  
Blake shrugged. "Must've been a real emergency indeed. What're you planning to do?"   
  
"Follow them, of course, as soon as I finish packing. I'd love to stay and watch the rest of the tournament unfold, but this is a serious situation. I want some answers."   
  
"Tell you what," Blake offered, "I can arrange to lease you an IDC fighter jet. It's a two-seater. If you can finish packing and take off within thirty minutes, you should be able to arrive before Yun and Yang do. That sound like a good idea?"   
  
"Thank you so much!"   
  
"Right, lemme get on it."

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Four hours have passed _  
  
Night. Overhead, the stars shimmered brightly in their eternal routes. Tranquility reigned over the grounds of the old temple, broken only by the soft whisper of the wind wafting through trees. The old temple was much decayed and exuded a faint sense of nostalgia. Despite the attention of the resident caretakers, the cobblestones underfoot and the grass had been poorly kept. The moon hovered on the horizon, a bare sliver of silver light in the sky. A lone figure stood atop the roof of the temple building, some two stories off the ground. There wasn't enough lighting to trace any features.   
  
_I anticipated finding you here._   
  
The figure spoke into the empty night, certain that her words were heard by undetectable ears. "Dear sister," Regina said softly, "you sent those assassins, didn't you?" A gentle breeze fanned her hair and jacket; they softly fluttered in the wind. Regina's eyes were open and her gaze fixed on the moon. She did not want to look down, where every last detail of the battle between McGrath and Dadallent could be observed. Even now the aura of their old rivalry still remained and it made Regina uneasy.   
  
_Indeed._   
  
"Why?"   
  
_We have not spent much time together for the past two centuries, dear sister. I sent them to ascertain if you still retain your former beliefs. You did not disappoint me, Regina._   
  
"I don't want to harm anyone if it can be helped."   
  
_Yet you have always faced my challenge with spirit._   
  
"That was practice. This was a life and death situation; I'm just glad that no one was permanently injured, sister. Were you really testing me, or was it a test for them?"   
  
_Truth be told, both._   
  
"Why are you doing this, anyway?"   
  
_You of all people should most swiftly discern my intentions._   
  
"Stop speaking in riddles and give me a straight answer, please!"   
  
_I will not say. Soon you will realize what I intend. Regina, when this tournament has ended, there will be no more sorrow or pain upon this world. Your heart still aches when you see these mortals suffer, does it not? When you understand what I will do, I believe that you will be the first to support me. Until then, remain true to your heart. You are still the dear Regina who would suffer silently if so you could spare another's pain. Never lose that quality, Regina, for it is your best._   
  
"I ... I understand, Marin ..." Regina said softly.   
  
_Why did you tell them about me?_   
  
"I felt that it would be in their best interest to know more about the host of the tournament. I know that you weren't planning to reveal yourself until the end, so please forgive me. Besides, I've befriended many of them and I hope you will too. Let's all be friends."   
  
_Perhaps what you did was for the best. That is my hope for the future._   
  
A moment later Regina felt the link between her sister and herself sever. The short talk had left her with more questions than answers, but at least she realized why assassins had been dispatched at the men with her. "Part of love requires that you defend the ones you love with all your strength," Marin had once said, many thousands of years ago. "This is why I train with such intensity, so that I may protect my friends should the need ever arise." As Regina remembered the saying, her mind traveled nearly five hundred years into the past, to the last time she had actively trained with her older sister. It was the last time she had fought against anyone, even in play or practice.   
  
_Regina carried a sword with herself that day. She had arrived at the designated place on time, dressed in a borrowed combat uniform normally used by the fighting valkyries. The battleground had been chosen for its simplicity; it was a wide, flat plain filled with knee-length grass and red-blossomed flowers. Regina's uniform included boots made out of leather and stitched with white cloth as well as tight but comfortable cloth slacks. The white vest kept her torso well-protected while a pair of triangular epaulets protected her shoulders; however, her upper arms were exposed. She wore a white cloth glove on each hand and both looked a size too large on her. A cape that split into two tails near her waist completed the uniform. Regina had dispensed with the golden tiara that the valkyries wore.   
  
Marin appeared from behind a low hill to her right, carrying a swallow that shone with a rainbow hue and whistling to herself. She smiled at the sight of her sister and strode closer. "Greetings, Regina. That is very fine blade that you have brought with yourself." And indeed it was. Regina drew the single-edged sword and it glinted brightly in the sunlight. The weapon was a genuine Masamune blade, forged by the master swordsmith and enhanced with Regina's own power so that the blade could shear through any material however obstinate it was, and yet would draw no blood against an opponent. "You must have learned so much after a century spent on Earth. Show me what you have learned to do with your weapon."   
  
Marin nodded her approval when Regina finished a long demonstration of multiple sword forms. "Superbly executed. Would you care to test your steel against an opponent?"   
  
Regina nodded too. "I feared you would not ask! En garde, dear sister."   
  
Marin smiled secretively; as she did so, she threw her swallow off to one side and folded her hands behind her back. "Very well, I will not move a foot from this position. You may break as many swords upon me as you wish." When Regina swung her blade, Marin met the attack at the extreme range of her arm, deflecting it upward by an inch along the flat of the sword. Regina's attack went over Marin's head and she had to stagger forward a bit to compensate for the momentum of the attack. Unfortunately, this cost her balance; Marin reached up with her left hand and in one motion easily pulled the sword out of Regina's grip. She sighed inwardly but showed nothing and offered the blade to her sister, hilt first. "Do not allow me to disarm you with such ease."   
  
An hour later, Regina threw the sword into the grass and sighed deeply. "Eighty-two times you have disarmed me, sister, and never once could I touch you. What is the use of continuing? Your skill far exceeds my own."   
  
Marin shook her head. "That is not true. Do you not realize, Regina, that your obstacle is not a question of skill or lack thereof? You lack willpower; not once did you attack me with any measure of intent to wound me. That is why I could disarm you so consistently and I fear that any opponent in the future may do likewise. Your skill is superb, yet you are unwilling to use it."   
  
"How so?" Regina asked.   
  
Marin gestured and the blade floated into her hands; she offered the sword to Regina again. "Attack me one more time and aim for my heart. I shall not try to defend myself. Do not fear to injure me." So saying, Marin spread her hands wide and left her chest completely exposed, open for an attack. She fixed a steady gaze on Regina. Regina drew a deep breath and pulled her hand back, then unleashed a furious thrust directed straight at the center of Marin's chest. It never arrived.   
  
"I ... I cannot do this ..."   
  
"No, it is that you will not," Marin said softly. "You are not willing to injure anyone, not even an enemy. Therefore there was no intent to kill behind your attack. Unless you overcome that reluctance, you cannot truly defend those you love. Did I not say to fear no injury?" To emphasize her point, Marin took Regina's sword and sliced open a vein on her left arm. The attack drew no blood but Regina gasped anyway. "You know that no weapon can truly injure a goddess such as yourself. Yet you would not strike. But the battlefield is a harsh and cruel situation, Regina. Only those who live by the code of the warrior may survive and the warrior must kill without pity any who stand in her way, though her opponent be her very own sister."   
  
"I ... I am sorry, Marin," Regina said, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I could not bring myself to do as such."   
  
"I pray that it will never be forced upon you," Marin replied gently._   
  
Regina clasped her hands to her heart and made no other movement for the remainder of the night.

* * *

_ Thebes, Egypt   
Four days have passed _  
  
"Who the heck chose this place for the fight?" Cody swore. "There's not a McDonald's in sight! How do people survive in this wasteland?"   
  
Wasteland was not the word that Samantha McGrath had in mind as she surveyed the chosen battleground. To her IDC-honed eyes, the banks of the river Nile teemed with life and resources. Lush green grass carpeted the entire field of battle and the water bubbled cheerfully in the background. The river itself was a few meters below the battlefield and the shore was filled with large rocks. The Nile ran a good twenty or twenty-five meters wide here. On the opposite shore was a ruined temple dedicated to Isis, its once magnificent brick structure having long faded into obscurity. The rising sun painted the landscape in deep reds and violets and oranges. The air was a comfortable seventy degrees and very dry. Osaka was being rained out when the two teams had left, not fifteen minutes ago. Samantha frowned to herself. Although a few of the enemy commandos had survived the firefight, they'd disappeared into thin air right before her incredulous eyes. Her husband and Regina were both unnervingly tight-lipped on the subject.   
  
"Are you questioning the Lady Marin's judgment?" a voice asked from behind, nearly causing Cody to jump out of his skin. Cody stumbled forward and looked back simultaneously, presenting a ridiculous appearance as he tripped and flailed his way to the ground. Gill was behind him, arms folded and smiling politely.   
  
"Um, no, not at all!" Cody replied, pasting an outrageously fake smile on his face.   
  
"Excellent," Gill responded, also smiling. "For the match is to begin now. Team Final Fight, name your tactical leader."   
  
"Here." Guy stepped up smartly.   
  
"Strike Force _Phantom_, name your tactical leader," Jedah Dohma said.   
  
"Ready." Samantha bowed to the judges.   
  
"Very well, then, it's settled." Jedah noted the entries and left the two captains alone at the center of the battlefield. To the side, the Reploid Alia was already discussing probabilities with Jin and Kyosuke. The grandmaster of the Bushin style wore his usual red pajama outfit with the words "God of War" stitched into the upper right fold. He was sporting a pair of old Nike sneakers. Samantha McGrath, for her part, appraised him item by item. She herself had tied her blonde hair back into a ponytail secured by a red ribbon. Her outfit consisted of velvet boots, silk pants, a velvet vest embroidered with intricate designs, and silk sleeves with velvet cuffs, giving her a seductive but also quite deadly appearance.   
  
"I've seen the way you looked at me when we trained together," Guy opened at last. "Very much like of a soldier, to scout out her opponent before a match."   
  
"Anyone would first pause before fighting the master of Bushin," Samantha replied courteously.   
  
"Please don't be so humble; I've heard the stories whispered about your skill, too."   
  
A small smile played around Samantha's lips. "Then let us both strive to uphold our reputations."   
  
"Ready when you are!" Guy called as he relaxed into his fighting stance, left arm extended from the waist up about a foot from his body, right elbow drawn protectively across his chest and a hand covering his heart. His weight went on his right leg, the left one arched into a cat stance with the heel off the ground. Samantha also assumed her fighting position, standing very straight and firm. Her weight was more evenly distributed, though she slightly favored her left leg. Her left arm was held behind her waist, fist closed. Her right arm also lay at her waist, about half a foot from her body and hand opened as if already warding off an attack.   
  
"Begin!"   
  
Guy had already finished his analysis of Samantha's stance when Marin's voice signaled the start of the fight. The flash of light disoriented him for a moment, but he instantly recovered and headed straight for Samantha's undefended face. Samantha blocked the first attempt to get in a quick punch at her face, at the same time ignoring a feinted attack from her right. They traded a dozen blows, Samantha keeping her opponent at arm's length the entire time. As Guy landed, Cody jumped in for an assist attack that prevented Samantha from following up her momentary advantage. However, he himself paid for it when Lloyd also jumped in and landed a solid slash on Cody's cheek with his metal staff.   
  
"Looks like the action is fast and furious right from the start, folks," Alia observed. "Jin, Kyosuke, what do you think of this matchup?"   
  
"I think that the IDC treats winning the tournament as second priority compared to investigating it," Kyosuke replied. "The IDC really shot itself in the foot with the lineup that it sent. If it had dispatched a single team captained by McGrath and with Samantha and Sonya Westin as the two other team members, this tournament would already have been decided. Instead, its strength has been dispersed. McGrath is a single entry and the two replacements, while both well-qualified, are nowhere near the caliber of McGrath or Sonya. So instead of a single strong team you have two somewhat weaker entries in the tournament, but no one is counting either of the IDC's teams out yet. Let's go to a special guest and get his opinion on the fighters - Master Gen?"   
  
"Thank you, Mr. Kyosuke." Gen stroked his beard for a moment as he deliberated on exactly what he intended to say. "Guy's Bushinryu style is, at the master level, a close-range style that tries to overwhelm its opponent by the sheer ferocity of the attack. Therefore, no matter the distance between himself and his opponent, he can put pressure on his foe. Samantha's style is recognizable as being based on various forms of Kung-Fu. Her tactics seem to be to try and keep her opponent at a distance with her arms while landing heavy damage with her kicks. They both seem to understand the more subtle aspects of spiritual combat, too. Normally they'd be evenly matched but Samantha's fighting style seems to counter Guy's very well, so she would have the advantage in a single fight."   
  
"Thank you, Master Gen." Kyosuke consulted a chronometer. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's five after two here in Osaka and raining like there's no tomorrow. How's the weather in Egypt, Alia?"   
  
"Sand's getting into my servomotors and circuits, Jin, but otherwise it's fine here. If you'll look behind me, Guy and Samantha are fighting furiously. Guy is trying to narrow down the fight to a short-range match, but so far Samantha's doing a good job of keeping him at a distance where she can hammer him with her kicks. Take a look, you two."   
  
The camera panned over for a better shot. As Samantha blocked a long-range kick, she retaliated with a snap kick aimed at Guy's temple. The kick came out as quickly as Guy himself could throw a light jab at the same area. At that speed, Guy had no chance to defend as he was still recovering from his own attack. Samantha landed her kick and Guy staggered backwards a little. Samantha pursued him; Guy rolled, but backwards, and suddenly unfurled into a jump, arcing at Samantha through the air. Had he landed, he might have finished the fight right there with an EXCEED Barrage at close range. However, right as he descended perhaps a mere half foot off the ground, Samantha retaliated with her own powerful Minerva Kick.   
  
"Incredible!" Jin screamed excitedly.   
  
Her back leg shot up and clipped Guy, unbalancing his tightly controlled Miracle Somersault. When her leg was nearly vertical, Samantha jumped off the ground entirely and brought her other leg up for another kick, heel first. Alia's enhanced optical scanners detected a faint trail of energy that accompanied this second attack. Samantha's heel smashed into Guy's jaw with all the force of her body behind it. The impact of the attack took Guy off his feet and sent him flying backwards; Samantha completed her flip kick and softly landed facing forward, her feet having switched positions. The complicated maneuver drew whistles of admiration from Jin and Kyosuke.   
  
Amazingly, Guy was still conscious. "Cody, go!"   
  
Guy dragged himself out of the battlefield as Cody bounced in; at the same time, Samantha called for an assist and Lloyd made a fast staff swipe. Cody dodged the attack, throwing out a jab at Samantha as he did so. Samantha parried the strike but kept her right hand loosely connected to Cody's elbow, at the same time retaliating with a kick. The intent was to march him backwards under a flurry of blows; unfortunately, she had miscalculated his response. Cody simply took the kick; it caused him to stagger for a moment, but his attack came through regardless. A fast double-handed swing clipped Samantha under the chin and sent her spinning; Maki added to the attack with an assist, landing a flying kick between Samantha's shoulder blades. She staggered back and tried to recover before Cody could follow up on his temporary advantage.   
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Cody saw Lloyd enter to contribute a striker assist. But Lloyd was still half a dozen meters away, while Samantha was right in front of him and still struggling to put up a defense. He went for a Ruffian Kick aimed squarely at Samantha's ankles, intending to put her on the ground where she would be forced to grapple against an opponent half again as heavy as she. Instead, he nearly lost his eyes, dodging Lloyd's Sparrow dagger only at the last moment. He ducked under another dagger and hopped over the third one. Unfortunately, he fell for the trap.   
  
While Cody was still in the air, Samantha came off the ground with a speed that defied logic, jumping forward with her front leg raised high. A moment later she'd caught Cody with a kick to the stomach, but instead of knocking him back to the ground, Samantha kept him suspended in the air off her leg for a moment before swinging around violently in a wheeling leg motion, slamming Cody hard into the sand on his back. She was kept from following the advantage when Maki rushed in with a flying kick. Lloyd reappeared and dove at Cody, who rolled away from the Hawk Strike before it hit. There was no time to celebrate, however; Blake Wallis also rushed forward for a takedown. Cody dodged to the side at the last moment, sticking a foot out. Although Cody failed to trip Blake, Guy's Armadillo Strike assist met Blake's Wolf Rush head-on and sent the _Phantom_ reeling with stars in his vision.   
  
Samantha and Cody traded another dozen blows before she penetrated his defense. Instantly Samantha went on the offensive, kicking out both of Cody's knees near simultaneously. Cody collapsed, but Samantha would not let him fall to the ground, instead launching a powerful roundhouse kick that almost crushed Cody's ribs. He flew into the air; a moment later, Samantha blew a kiss and slid out of the battlefield, Lloyd coming in to take her place. Maki's assist came too late to do anything.   
  
Nursing a badly bruised chest, Cody opted to drop out of the fight for the moment. Maki appeared a moment later wielding a tonfa. "Looks like it's the battle of the weapon masters," Kyosuke observed. "Lloyd's staff has superior reach and speed, but Maki's baton has more precise control and greater defensive power. This ought to be an interesting match. Okay, Lloyd is starting off with the standard staff opening, a side strike to test his opponent's defenses. Fast response by Maki, she's already taken the initiative; no, wait, that was just a feint. Here comes Guy with an assist, and Blake with a counterattack on the _Phantom_ side. Well, nothing got resolved out of that."   
  
"But something will soon!" Jin shouted, upsetting Kyosuke's balance as he leapt up.   
  
As they watched, Maki arced through the air in a graceful leap and caught Lloyd by the shoulders, angling him over her head and throwing him several meters across the battlefield. "Great counterattack by Maki against a Sparrow dagger throw," Kyosuke observed. "In general, the Bushin style tends to counter projectiles very well. One of the things you'll notice about Maki, though, is that despite the radical differences in moves between herself and Guy, they still fight in pretty much the same fashion. There goes Lloyd for another dagger toss. He fell for the same move twice! Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen!"   
  
Brushing sand out of his mustache, Lloyd sized up his opponent with wary eyes. Maki's hit-and-run tactics were certainly starting to wear him down, especially since he couldn't rely on his only long-range weapon, the daggers. Perhaps a ruse would succeed where sheer force failed? Lloyd reached into his coat and produced another dagger; as before, Maki took two running steps and then somersaulted, expecting Lloyd to launch the dagger straight at her. Instead, Lloyd threw it into the ground and held his staff up defensively. Maki saw her chance in the action and altered her own attack accordingly; right above Lloyd, she uncurled and swung the tonfa down, hard. The weapons rang against each other and Maki felt her arms go numb, but that was beside the point. She kicked her legs into Lloyd's chest and bounced off of him, flying backwards gracefully. Lloyd, who had braced for the maneuver, was not forced to move.   
  
As Maki landed, she turned around to face her opponent again. The initial glance sent warning klaxons off in her head; Lloyd was crouching low to the ground, a number of dagger heads poking out from his sleeves. There was no time to think as he unleashed a hail of daggers at Maki. Inwardly the ninja grinned to herself. Okay, so he wanted to play bladed weapons with a ninja. She held her tonfa ready, dodging the first dagger. The second one she caught solidly on her weapon, expecting to fly away with a metallic ring.   
  
Instead, the Sparrow dagger shattered and Maki shrieked, a horrible sound, as fragments of steel shrapnel pierced deep into her skin. Her defense broken, the ninja lay exposed to the rest of the attack as multiple daggers struck everywhere around her, creating a veritable storm of steel. From his own position, Lloyd cursed in his clipped British accent as the first dagger found its mark and stowed away the remainder of his daggers. A moment later he ran to where the fallen ninja screamed in terrible pain. "Medic! Now!" Lloyd shouted.   
  
"Take her out of the fight," Guy said to Gill and Jedah, stepping in to take Maki's place. He rubbed a spot under his chin where an ugly bruise had already appeared. "That was uncalled for."   
  
"I apologize."   
  
"Tell that to her later."   
  
Lloyd reassumed his fighting stance and Guy needed no second bidding. Half a minute later a thoroughly beaten and bruised Lloyd exited the battlefield, replaced by Blake Wallis. "Maki's been withdrawn from the fight on orders of the tactical leader," Alia reported. "Those wounds are probably going to leave scars for life. And it looks like Guy and Cody are both majorly ticked off. Can you blame them?"   
  
Apparently neither Blake nor Guy had any qualms about point-blank range combat, as they were at each other hammer and tongs in an instant. Despite the occasional assist from Cody and Samantha, neither could find an opening until Guy finally dropped low and kicked out Blake's left ankle. Blake charged forward and caught Guy by the waist, going straight into his Half-Moon Tackle and planting Guy's head into the ground. The Bushin master rolled a safe distance; when Blake chased him, Guy came off the ground with a furious Triangle Kick, knocking Blake a few meters away. Before he could recover from the kick, though, he himself was sent flying backwards by Samantha's stylish Minerva Kick.   
  
They met again; Blake gained an initial upper hand and landed a heavy uppercut into Guy's abdomen. His followup attack was intercepted by Cody's Ruffian Kick and a moment later Guy was laying into Blake. "It's the old Final Fight attack chain!" Kyosuke raved. "Five-hit combo ending with a kick into the chin! And there goes Blake tumbling across the sand!" Breathing heavily, Guy paused and leaned over to catch his breath. He'd been beaten more badly than he'd thought.   
  
Blake tagged out with Samantha and Guy cursed; he doubted that he'd survive another run against Samantha. Best to get in a launcher attack and then switch out with Cody, who was probably fresher. Samantha jumped at him, bringing her back leg overhead for an aerial strike. Guy blocked the attack, then had to fend off another powerful kick aimed at his chest. He was too tired to dodge or parry the attacks, though he desperately needed to. Cody's assist was met by Lloyd and effectively countered. Samantha pressed the attack hard with multiple kicks aimed at Guy's defense. Increasingly Guy was being forced into a corner. Samantha threw one last kick, jumping up and bringing her heel down with punishing force at Guy's head. The Bushin ninja master blocked it and promptly guard crushed.   
  
"Goodnight for Guy!" Jin screamed into his microphone, nearly deafening Kyosuke.   
  
Samantha moved in for the kill, gliding forward with a side kick that landed squarely in Guy's solar plexus. Heel planted firmly in his belly, Samantha levered Guy off the ground with her leg and held him suspended in midair, but only for a moment. Then she wheeled him across her body with remarkable speed and slammed him into the ground, Guy gasping as the impact knocked him breathless. The attack didn't stop there; Samantha repeated the slam, this time pulling Guy to the left, then to the right again, and so forth while keeping her own upper body perfectly still. Cody tried to break the assault but was countered by Lloyd at every turn.   
  
After the seventh or eighth slam Samantha suddenly threw Guy off her leg and straight up into the air. The Bushin master fell heavily; Samantha intercepted him halfway to the ground with a powerful Minerva Kick and landed upright. Guy himself landed perhaps two meters from her, clearly knocked out; Samantha paused to pose a moment behind her opponent. Then Cody jumped in as the medical teams went to work.   
  
She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead; the rising sun was making the day exceedingly hot and it would be best to finish the fight now. Prudence dictated that she ought to switch out with Lloyd, but Samantha still felt reasonably fresh. So she met Cody's attack and began to trade blows. No assists this time; she wanted a clean fight. Besides which ... she risked a glance back. Both Blake and Lloyd had taken serious injuries earlier.   
  
"I'm gonna get you for what you guys did to Maki," Cody rasped, throwing a Mistral Kick.   
  
Samantha deflected it to the side with a light kick. "It was not intentional."   
  
"Rubbish!" Cody hollered. He swept his arm up, creating a miniature whirlwind. Samantha dodged the attack and retaliated with a kick to the side, but Cody was too angry to care. He charged ahead; Samantha aimed a solid kick at his chest. Cody knocked the attack to the side and it clipped his right shoulder but failed to stop the charge. A moment later, he rammed into Samantha and knocked her off her feet, throwing a violent kick in midair at her. Lloyd entered uncalled for and flung a Sparrow dagger, which seemed to enrage Cody even more. He tried to tackle Samantha on the ground, but she dodged to the side and caught Cody's back leg with both of her own. Then she jerked. Cody's knee snapped cleanly.   
  
Cody roared in pain; turning around, he seized Samantha's hair and began to mercilessly beat at her face, leaving bloody trails running down her cheeks. Samantha grunted and snapped a kick up at his face; the blow landed solidly but Cody continued regardless. Then, to the shock of all present, he grabbed her breast and squeezed.   
  
"You bastard!" Blake shouted.   
  
Shaking off a rivulet of blood that threatened to cloud her vision, Samantha frantically signaled Blake out of running in to assist her. Cody drew back and let loose another punch; this time, Samantha turned and let the blow fall harmlessly off the side of her head. At the same time, she rammed her left knee into his stomach and in a moment pulled him over her head. Cody landed heavily; Samantha crawled upright, wiping away the blood that had been splattered all over her face. Cody was also bleeding through his shirt and he had enough trouble just trying to stand on his knees. Samantha's eyes narrowed as she snapped her fingers. She felt dizzy and her body was shaking with pain, but she didn't care. All she wanted now was to pull off one last attack.   
  
"I think that she's angry," Kyosuke drawled, stating the obvious.   
  
Blake Wallis and Lloyd Cunningham needed no second bidding; both of them charged onto the battlefield as Samantha herself broke into a dead run at Cody. He disappeared in a spray of sand and blood as all three _Phantoms_ converged on him with a barrage of powerful punches and kicks, the sounds of fists ramming into flesh and breaking bones audible to everyone. The spectacular attack finished with a trio of launcher attacks from the _Phantoms_, sending Cody flying upwards out of the sand storm. Then Blake and Lloyd boosted Samantha off their arms and catapulted her into the air; she caught Cody halfway down and inverted both herself and him. She pressed a hand against his chin; at the last moment, she jerked back and he landed on his neck with an impact like thunder, collapsing into the sand. Samantha jumped back, propelled by the force of contact and landed on her feet. A moment later she too wavered and dropped into the sand, blissful oblivion overtaking her at last. 


	12. Food for Thought

**Food for Thought**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** You may have noticed that the rating for this fanfic has been bumped up to PG-13, due to the events portrayed in the last chapter. Also, at this time the tournament bracket on my website has received a much-needed update. Special thanks to Chan, the only person so far who has bothered to send in a tournament entry.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Two hours have passed _   
  
Light ... coming towards her ... forcing an eye open, Maki tried to read her situation. Her perception of gravity was awkward and she suffered from a faint sense of vertigo. She was lying on something soft and comfortable, but she could not feel her legs. Her vision blurred and swam. How had she ended up like this ...? It hurt to try and remember, but there had been a fight ... yes, a fight ... she'd been in many of those. A dark spot passed over her eyes, a person, but she could not discern who it was. She heard, as though from a great distance, the voice of Mike Haggar. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Maki."   
  
It took a great deal of effort to pry her lips open. "Where ... am ... I ...?" Maki croaked weakly.   
  
"You're in a hospital in Osaka," Haggar informed her. "Cody's here too; you were both pretty badly beaten in that fight you just had."   
  
"That fight we ..." And then it all came rushing back in a blur, the intensity of the match against the _Phantom_ Strike Force ... the rain of daggers sent flying at her ... "Did we ... win ...?" Maki asked, shutting her eyes again.   
  
"No," another voice replied. Guy's, Maki realized after a moment of hard and painful thought. "We lost in the end, though I didn't see it either. I regained consciousness even before we returned to Osaka, though. I've had plenty of time to watch the recordings as well as speak with Jedah and Gill. I'll tell you this much, I didn't like what I saw or heard."   
  
"Where's ... Cody ...?"   
  
"Right next to you." When Maki slitted an eye open, Guy indicated a bunk to her right. "Cody was knocked out pretty cleanly by the EXTREME Mayhem Rampage," Guy informed her. "I say it serves him right. He groped Samantha during the fight and she beat the tar out of him for it." Guy's tone implied that had Samantha not done it while he was still unconscious, Guy himself would have served Cody similarly. "Look, I probably shouldn't have said that. Get some rest, Maki - you and Cody are both in pretty bad shape."   
  
_Let me help._   
  
"Hmm?" Midway in the act of standing up, Guy turned and looked around before addressing his injured teammate. "Did you say something, Maki?" Yet even as he asked, he realized that it couldn't have been her. The voice was different. Haggar also peered in every which direction. The answer came to them again in that whispered voice that seemed to originate from empty air itself. Guy found the notion oddly disconcerting.   
  
_Go with my blessing._   
  
Guy was about to pose a question to the unseen voice when something else distracted him. Right before his incredulous eyes, Maki's body began to take on a faint golden glow; glancing to the right, Guy confirmed that Cody was also glowing. It crescendoed to an intensity that threatened to blot out the fluorescent lights overhead, at the same time emitting a warm and welcome aura. Then as quickly as it had emerged, the light faded away into complete oblivion. Maki stirred and sat upright, feeling about herself for a moment before springing out of the cot. Cody did likewise.   
  
"Completely healed ..." Guy mused, more to himself than anyone else, taking in Maki and Cody with a single quick glance. "Incredible ..." Then, speaking into the empty air, "Thank you, Marin."   
  
_My pleasure._   
  
A soft knock sounded on the door of the hospital room; Guy and Haggar simultaneously called, "Come in!" The door slid open and Lloyd Cunningham walked inside, followed by Blake and Samantha. Ernest McGrath brought up the rear and quietly shut the door behind himself. The IDC soldiers certainly didn't look injured; while Guy had been expected a number of nasty wounds on Samantha, she showed nothing of the sort. Glancing to the side, Guy noticed that Cody's eyes had narrowed and the Bushin warrior did not like what he saw.   
  
"I came to apologize to Maki," Lloyd said after a brief pause. "What I did was not acceptable under any circumstance. Will you accept my apology?"   
  
"Apology accepted," Maki replied graciously. "You fought well, Lloyd."   
  
"Thank you."   
  
Unfortunately, the peace was broken almost before it had become established. "I think someone on your side also owes us an apology," Blake Wallis stated.   
  
"Blake ..." McGrath began warningly.   
  
"Yeah, so I do owe it to you," Cody spat, shrugging his shoulders as if he could care less. "What I did was nothing compared to the way you nearly killed Maki. I'm not sorry for what I did, and you can't make me feel that way. Given the exact same circumstances, I'd go and do it again." Blake bristled and lunged towards Cody, but McGrath caught his shoulders and held him back quite firmly. Cody sneered at the hot-tempered _Phantom_.   
  
"I apologize on his behalf," Guy said to Samantha.   
  
"Whatever," Cody interrupted. "She ought to be thanking _me_ that I didn't kill her on the spot."   
  
Blake strained hard against McGrath's hold, muttering curses under his breath. Even Lloyd had reached into his large overcoat, probably searching for more Sparrow daggers. Fortunately, the cooler heads prevailed. "You are very considerate, Guy," Samantha said quietly, "but it appears that we have overextended our welcome. We are returning to the hotel for dinner, please join us there at your earliest convenience." She nodded respectfully to Guy and extended her hand; he shook firmly. Samantha turned around and strode out, her soft velvet boots making no sound on the tiled floor. Lloyd and McGrath followed with Blake bringing up the rear.   
  
He paused in the doorway. "Cody, just for your information, you're going to die a terrible and spectacular death one day. I just hope that I'm there to cause it." So saying, Blake Wallis stormed out of the room.   
  
"Bring it on anytime, newb!" Cody called after him. "You think I'm afraid of a pushover like you?! Ha!"   
  
"Cody," Haggar growled, "we're going to have a long talk, just the four of us."   
  
"That son of a -!" Blake fumed as he rejoined his fellow soldiers. McGrath and Lloyd had somehow managed to produce umbrellas from somewhere. Together they left the hospital and turned down one of Osaka's busy streets, aiming for the hotel two blocks distant. It was well nigh impossible to see anything in the downpour. "Some people push me the wrong way, but that guy ... I want to assassinate him tonight. Preferably by tearing his throat out and letting him bleed to death. Well?" he demanded. "Aren't you going to say anything?"   
  
"Apologies can't be forced, Blake," McGrath replied from the head of the group as they stopped in front of a traffic light. "You ought to know that better than any of us."   
  
"Like hell they can't!" Blake exploded. "For heaven's sakes, doc, that man sexually assaulted your wife and you're not going to do a thing about it? I cannot believe that I'm hearing this from you!"   
  
"You're right, I won't lift a finger, but that's because I don't have to. I trust Samantha's judgment in this matter. She can fight for her own honor and if she wants my help she'll certainly ask for it, right?" McGrath turned around and looked at Blake. "I have faith in my wife, that's why I didn't interfere."   
  
"Thank you, Ernest." Samantha smiled.   
  
They made it back to the hotel without any further words, Blake still thinking dark thoughts about what he wanted to do to Cody. "Hmm, what's that smell?" McGrath asked at the entrance. "It smells delicious."   
  
"Oh, hey, doctor, you're just in time." Ken Masters swaggered up to the group dressed in his finest tuxedo, a white and red outfit that set even Samantha's heart a flutter. "Come on in, you won't believe this!" They walked into the dining hall together and McGrath took in the scene with one glance. The center of the room had been cleared of its usual clutter and a pair of enormous semicircular tables brought in. These tables were placed so as to allow two feet's worth of separation between their straight sides. A number of dishes had been piled on both tables and it was this aroma that had attracted McGrath's attention. On a conservative estimate, at least fifty people could be seated. Most of the seats had already been taken by various people. Then someone caught sight of the _Phantoms_ and in a moment both tables had burst into applause. Samantha curtseyed gracefully.   
  
"Let's hear it for the _Phantoms_!" Sagat cheered.   
  
"Congratulations on your victory," Ken offered as he took a seat next to Samantha, McGrath seated on her other side, Blake and Lloyd further down the line. From the other table, Cammy and Juni held up a sign with the words _EXTREMEize him again!_ written in bold, black letters. Blake and Lloyd had to endure much backslapping from the others. "Well, now that we're all here," Ken began, "will the most recent victors say grace?"   
  
Samantha stood, blushing slightly. "Before I do so, may I ask who prepared all of this?"   
  
"I did." Turning around, Samantha saw Regina enter into the dining hall brushing off her apron. The goddess removed and folded it in one smooth, fluid motion. "It took a whole day, but I hope that you enjoy it. By all means." So saying, Regina seated herself next to Ken Masters with a sweet smile. There was indeed enough spread out to fill both tables: sushi, sashimi, roasted beef, dressed quail, salad, kisu, and much more besides.   
  
"Then I propose that we drink to Regina's health," Samantha announced, raising her own glass. "Thank you for your meticulous effort on our behalf," Samantha addressed Regina. "May you enjoy our company as much as we do yours!" She drained the glass in one long draught and the others followed suit. Chan and Kirina, both too young to have had much alcohol, choked on their drinks.   
  
Blake dug in with reckless abandon, attempting to balance stuffing his face against a conversation with Strider and Commando. Kikoken flirted with Mason Storm on her right, who in turned flirted with Jill Valentine on his right. On the other side of the table, Ryu had challenged Bison to an eating contest and was already losing rapidly. McGrath, Lloyd, and Samantha conversed quietly; the absence of the Final Fight team was a marked one. Dadallent and Rose were also absent. The latter had been gone for nearly a week, having said something about returning to Genoa to consult her books. As for the Chaos Prince, no one had seen him after the incident at the mall. "I wish that the Dragons didn't have to go," McGrath said, scrutinizing a slice of meat. "Karin and Ibuki, too ... they would've enjoyed this. It's quite delicious, Regina."   
  
"Thank you, doctor," Regina replied, bowing slightly. "It's kind of you to say so."   
  
"You really spent a day preparing this?" Ken Masters asked, raising a chopstickful of sashimi to his mouth. "Must've been awfully dull. But it tastes wonderful - I wish Eliza could cook like you do. Mmm ... sorry, we must sound like a collection of broken records, saying the same things over and over again."   
  
"It is precisely to hear you say this that I took so long preparing the food," Regina answered softly. "I believed that, if I did this with all my heart and stirred my love into the ingredients, it would show come dinnertime. Everyone here is a friend of mine, and I hope you can all feel my love through my labor." Regina smiled sweetly as she said this last sentence.   
  
_Heh, you're so sweet, Regina,_ Ken Masters thought to himself. _That's why you get along with everyone, even the truly despicable types. I'd love to spend an evening all alone with you. But ..._ He glanced around the table and frowned, lost in thought. Ken rested a hand on his cheek and leaned on the table, staring at nothing in particular.   
  
"Hey, Ken!" Ryu called.   
  
_But unless I can get you away by myself, I'm never gonna get anywhere with this. Heh, Eliza doesn't have to know, right?_   
  
"Hello?" Ryu waved a hand, before standing up and coming over to Ken's side of the table. "Earth to Ken!"   
  
_That also poses problems, though. Thing is, Regina, you're such a friendly person that you'd think nothing of inviting half a dozen people along. But that's not what I'm aiming for._   
  
"Completely spaced out ... you gonna eat that or not?" Ryu asked.   
  
_We'll have to dupe Gill, of course. Yes, that's how I'll do it. I'll catch you alone late at night and say that I have two tickets to a movie theater. You won't refuse, of course. That's just the kind of person that you are._   
  
"I'll finish this for you, buddy," Ryu said, reaching down and taking Ken's bowl.   
  
_And then, when we're alone in the movie theater ... that's the time to build up the atmosphere. Then I'll take you out to a park, and we'll sit and talk. One thing will lead to another. We'll start by holding hands, you'll lean your head on my shoulder, then you'll give me a kiss, and before you know it -_   
  
"What's this about a kiss?" Ryu asked.   
  
Ken nearly jumped out of his seat. "Waah! Er, um ... I mean, this kisu tastes great with the ... huh, where'd it all go?"   
  
Ryu rapped the back of Ken's head. "Fool! I asked you if you intended to finish it, but you were lost in space and didn't say a word, so I took the liberty of eating it for you."   
  
"Oh ..."   
  
"Not to worry, I'll fix something else up!" Regina said cheerfully. She stood up and disappeared back into the kitchen before Ken could object. Ryu took the seat that Regina had vacated. To his dismay, Ken noticed that most of the food had already disappeared. Apparently Ryu had decided earlier to concede the contest to Bison, as most of the table had gone over to congratulate the grinning dictator of Shadowlaw.   
  
"Have you kissed Regina?" Samantha McGrath asked from Ken's left.   
  
"Waah, how'd you know?!" Ken wailed. Then, in a softer and lamer voice, he added, "Well, I'm working on it."   
  
"Keep working, buddy, and I'm sure you'll get somewhere." Ryu winked at Ken. "Though it may backfire if Eliza finds out."   
  
"Yeah, and I've almost run out of excuses," Ken said, shuddering at the notion. "What do I do?" Samantha leaned over and whispered into Ken's left ear for about two minutes, Ken nodding occasionally. "If you say so," Ken said doubtfully as Regina reappeared from the kitchen. Ryu stood up.   
  
"Here you go!" All smiles, Regina set a platter of grilled fish and kisu in front of Ken. Let alone the aroma, the mere sight of it made Ken's stomach inflate with anticipation. "I saved some just in case. Please enjoy it."   
  
"Well, I'm finished here." McGrath pushed himself back from the table and stood up. "Gouken, Zeku, and I will be doing some form work in two hours. Feel free to join us. Where should I take these?" He held up his bowl and chopsticks, as well as an empty plate. Regina told him to leave it. McGrath nodded politely, said thanks again, and strode out of the dining room followed closely by his wife. _Samantha really is beautiful,_ Ken thought wistfully to himself. _This stinks. Surrounded by beautiful women and I can't have any of them. Well, time to see if Samantha's little hints work._   
  
He took his time eating until everyone else had left and it was just him and Regina. He leaned back into the chair and sighed in contentment. "Never had a better meal in my life! Regina, you're a stellar cook."   
  
"You really think so?" Regina asked, breaking into a brilliant smile. "Thank you, Ken."   
  
_Okay, now the hard part,_ Ken thought to himself. _What the heck am I doing anyway? Regina's a goddess, for crying out loud! Still ... she's also a woman, and she did say that she loves me._ Beside Ken, Regina hummed a song to herself as she began gathering up the leftover dishes. "Did something good happen to you today, Ken?" she asked after a moment.   
  
"Waah! Uh, Regina ... did you read my mind or something?"   
  
"I can, if I concentrate." Regina looked up from scrubbing the table; Ryu and his daughter were apparently both messy eaters. "But that's only if I concentrate. And besides, I respect your privacy. Normally all I see is your aura. You're emitting a passionate one right now," she added with a bright smile. "So naturally I was curious as to what had made you so excited."   
  
"Erm, Regina?"   
  
"Yes?" She smiled, eyes wide and happy.   
  
"Well, uh, you said that you're a friend of everyone here. So, uh ..." Ken stammered. Mentally he berated himself; he didn't remember Samantha's hints working along these lines. "I think that, uh, maybe we ought to, you know ... get to know each other more? Maybe we should make things clear?" He was sweating profusely now. "I mean, if you don't want to, then that's fine, too, b-but ... ah, if you say no ..."   
  
_Hmm?_ Regina looked closely at Ken. _His aura is very strong right now. It's a happy one, yes, but also quite nervous ..._   
  
"... If you say no, um, I understand, but all the same ..."   
  
_His skin is flushed and he's perspiring heavily._ Regina studied him with both eyes, a look of concern appearing on her delicate features. _His body temperature is above what is normal for a human. His heart is racing, too ... there's something stirring in his blood, that's certain - oh no! Don't tell me ... he's fallen in love with me?!_ Regina locked her eyes on Ken's and concentrated, hard.   
  
"... So, uh, I was wondering if ..."   
  
"I'm sorry, Ken." Regina folded her hands in front of her skirt and averted her eyes from Ken's. "I know how you feel towards me, but I - I just can't. Marriage is a sacred union, and as a goddess I know that I should respect your unique relationship with your soulmate. How could I betray your wife like this? I ... I apologize ... for my weakness ..." she stammered. Ken was about to ask Regina what she meant, but the goddess ran out of the room hiding her face in her hands. Bewildered, he could only stare at the space where she'd been a moment ago. The dining room doors banged against each other hollowly as Regina fled deeper into the hotel.   
  
"Eh, Regina? What's wrong!" Glancing up from a newspaper, Captain Commando called to Regina as she ran by him.   
  
She skidded to a halt and turned around, tears in her eyes. "I - It was awful, Captain! I ... I think I nearly caused Ken to ... to ..."   
  
"Tell me about it," Commando invited.   
  
Inside, Ken sighed and stared at the table in frustration. "Drat! And to think that I would've settled for a kiss on the cheek!"

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Two days have passed. _   
  
"Don't slack off now, guys, you're doing great!" With a friendly wave, Ernest McGrath flipped a thumbs up to Sakura Kasugano, Darrell Markis, Scott Wagner, and Kirina Houshi. "C'mon, lemme see more of that burning spirit!"   
  
"Easy for you to say," Darrell muttered. Between the three of them, McGrath, Zero, and Sagat were laying a complete beatdown on the four friends. On one side of the outdoor gym Ryu, Charlie, and Samantha watched with either idle curiosity or more than passing interest. From the other side, Regina also watched, eyes full of concern. She'd already healed injuries in all of the fighters earlier.   
  
"Stop." Sakura held up a hand, leaning over and gasping for breath. From the sidelines Ryu muttered despairingly about the youths' lack of endurance. "That's ... quite enough ... for a day ..." She staggered off for the water that Regina had thoughtfully brought out earlier. Darrell and Scott deferred to the women.   
  
"You know, meeting force with force usually isn't the best way to take a fight," McGrath advised as the four of them drank greedily. Earlier Sakura and Darrell had double-teamed him with a raging fireball combination, something that he'd merely sidestepped. Fortunately Regina had responded quickly enough to dissipate it before it could hit the hotel building. "If you see an energy ball come flying at you, block it if you want. But I personally suggest that you get out of the way. Second thing: there's a little test that I want to run. Blake, you bring the targets?"   
  
"Yup, they're all right here." Blake Wallis appeared from the hotel building dragging a trio of wooden bullseyes with him. "Though I still maintain that we ought to use one of those slackers," and here he nodded at the people watching from the sides, "as target practice." Each bullseye was a slat of wood with the silhouette of a person painted on it in heavy black ink. A number of expanding rings painted in various colors denoted the scoring system. On the uncolored portion outside of the outline, Blake had written "Hit me and you're a complete n00b."   
  
"Suggestion noted and denied. Here, I'll help you out." Together McGrath and Blake set the targets upright on the far end of the gym. The asphalt was still wet from the downpour two days prior. "Alright, here's the drill. All three of you have sheer power - I've watched that Yugure Hadouken, Darrell, and believe me when I say I don't want to see it directed at me - but how much precision do you have? See this line? It's exactly twenty meters' distance from the targets. Sakura, Darrell, Kirina, take the leftmost target and Hadouken it, five shots each." McGrath indicated the target with his thumb.   
  
"This is shameful," Ryu commented as he watched the stream of fireballs racing by. Zero folded his arms.   
  
"Well ... dang ..." Darrell swore. He'd hit the shoulder once and landed another Hadouken outside of the silhouette, but the rest of his projectiles had missed completely. Sakura, to his left, hadn't fared any better, nor had Kirina.   
  
McGrath chuckled. "That's not bad, actually. You ought to see me when I first started training with rifles; my instructors were glad enough to see me shooting in the right direction. Sagat! Ryu! Charlie! Five shots each, take the middle target and show these newbs how it's done! Fifty meter spread."   
  
"My pleasure," Sagat rumbled. He, Charlie, and Ryu backed up to the fifty meter mark, about halfway across the gym, and let loose with a barrage of shots. "Tiger! Hadouken! Sonic Boom!" They gripped hands once finished. Scott and Darrell both whistled with admiration; the three veterans had both peppered the bullseye with a number of scorch marks, red for Ryu's Hadoukens, black for Sagat's Tiger blasts, blue for Charlie's Sonic Booms. Ryu seemed to be best by a slight margin.   
  
"Let that be a demonstration to you," McGrath spoke. "The mark of a fighter's prowess isn't raw power. It's precision. Like Goutetsu used to tell Gouken, Akuma, and myself, 'Skill over strength, spirit over skill.' You all have power - there's no denying that - now learn how to direct it and you'll become truly strong."   
  
"I haven't seen _you_ throw any projectiles!" Ryu heckled good-naturedly.   
  
McGrath smiled. "I used to. But I got rid of my Hadouken once I realized that it didn't fit well with my style and I haven't used it in nearly fifteen years. I developed another energy projectile later, but I got rid of that, too. Still, if you want a demonstration ... I used to practice throwing a thousand of these a day, until I could hit a feather a thousand times and keep it in the air the whole time. Took me five years to get it right, and by then I'd decided that I'd never use it." So saying, McGrath backed up to the same mark that Ryu and the others had stood at, then focused on the third target. He tilted his head to one side, as if studying the wooden board. "Besides, who am I to resist showing off when beautiful women are watching?" Samantha rolled her eyes.   
  
Quickly and efficiently, his right hand shot forward and his fingers unfurled. Nothing visible emerged, but the wood gave way with a crack; he repeated this four more times, then stood up. Ryu felt his jaw drop at he looked at the target. Whereas he and Charlie and Sagat had littered the target with a number of scorch marks all bunched close to the center, McGrath's wooden board showed just one big, ragged hole where the bullseye over the heart should have been. Sakura's eyes bulged. Zero refused to believe what his optical scanners told him.   
  
"I love that move," Blake Wallis confided. "It's an invisible projectile, alright. Travels fast as hell, though, and it hits like a runaway train if you're in hand-to-hand range. I still can't seem to get the hang of it."   
  
McGrath simply shrugged. "Like I say, projectiles became obsolete in my fighting style, so I don't use them anymore. You won't find a projectile anywhere in my official movelist that the tournament organizers released."   
  
"Speaking of your movelist, I meant to ask you earlier," Sakura began. "About that move marked with questions: what is it?"   
  
"Ah ... I'm sorry, but I'd rather not say," McGrath replied, ducking his head.   
  
"Aw, come on, why not?" Sakura persisted. McGrath shook his head as he and Sakura rejoined the others watching from the side.   
  
"Because it's my forbidden technique," McGrath finally replied, apparently deciding that he'd share it after all. "I developed my final and ultimate technique in order to counter the Shun Goku Satsu," McGrath continued, sipping from a bottle of water as he did so. "Unlike Gouken and Akuma, I never did learn the Shun Goku Satsu. I did, however, learn how it operates. I spent years refining a technique to counter the Shun Goku Satsu. Well, perhaps counter is the wrong word. More like my technique is an answer to the Satsu. But I cannot use the attack unless I sacrifice my own life to fuel its power. That is why no one has ever seen it, and it is unlikely that anyone will."   
  
"Oh yeah?" Kirina asked. "What did you name that technique, anyway?"   
  
"That's for me to know," McGrath answered quietly. "I wish you hadn't brought the subject up, Sakura. That move is my technique of last resort, to be used only if everything else, including Revenge, has already failed. I've a sneaking suspicion that it already has somebody's name written on it. I still haven't perfected the move, but once I do, I seriously doubt that even inhuman foes like Dadallent or Gill would be able to withstand it. You ought to see their tricks; Dadallent has a very mean one."   
  
"Ah, then you found his hidden technique," Ryu stated.   
  
"Yes," McGrath replied. "He could execute it, of course, and then even if I survived the attack itself I wouldn't last for three minutes afterwards. But ... he doesn't want to kill me. For five years I've been his best opponent; it would be a shame to throw that away so easily, wouldn't it? He wants to defeat me in a fair fight. Once he has, he'll come for the rest of you." McGrath chuckled. "Dadallent is still that rarest of fighting types: the true warrior. I disagree with the way he kills his opponents, but I respect his skill nonetheless. Perhaps, when all this has ended, we may fight one last time."   
  
"You sound like you're enjoying the thought," Charlie said sourly. "I wasn't around, of course, but I've heard that he's a total bastard to fight against. Supposedly he can kill people with a single barehanded strike. And no one has ever seen him use his short sword before."   
  
"It's a very special weapon," Regina chipped in. "I recognize it - it's the Psychisaber. Psychisaber is a peculiar weapon in that it binds the soul of its user, and then the blade and the warrior protect each other. The sword is indestructible; it was forged by the gods long ago, from metal extracted from the heart of a star and then tempered by immortal blood. Even among divine weapons, Psychisaber ranks as a very powerful blade. It belonged to my sister, but she lost it at the end of her war against Eldrin. I had no idea that Dadallent possessed it."   
  
"Is Psychisaber one of those bloodthirsty swords that forces its user to kill people?" Kirina asked.   
  
"You've been reading too many novels lately," Sakura muttered.   
  
Regina shook her head firmly. "No. Regardless of how powerful it is, a weapon can only show the heart of its wielder. No more and no less. Dadallent's heart is filled with resolve, but there is also indescribable anguish and torment. He is waiting for someone to end his suffering. Psychisaber really is a beautiful weapon, though."   
  
"Don't say that, Regina," McGrath advised. "There's no such thing as a 'beautiful' weapon. Weapons are made for only one purpose, without which we'd doubtlessly enjoy happier lives."   
  
"All this philosophizing is great and all," Blake interrupted, "but I'm starving. Just ran a couple of miles."   
  
"Oh, I made lunch for everyone!" Regina exclaimed with a happy smile. "You all said that you enjoyed the meals I made, so I took extra care to prepare something that everyone likes. Please join me in the dining hall, there's plenty for everyone."   
  
"A word with you, doctor?" Ryu requested as the others filed away. Blake paused to recover the targets.   
  
"Yes?"   
  
"About Karin and Ibuki ... and the Darkstalkers, come to think of it. Any new information on them?"   
  
McGrath paused as he swung open the door that led back to the hotel. "Unfortunately, no. The girls could be around the world by now. I've asked the field marshal to issue a global search notice, but ... to be honest, I doubt that we'll see them again short of some miracle. Same goes for the Darkstalkers, no one has seen them. Regina, Commando, Gill, and I are completely out of leads. All we can do for them now is ... pray." 


	13. Match V: World Warrior Team vs New Gener...

**Match 1-5: World Warrior Team vs. New Generation Team**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** More updates! Another match, and at this time a new soundtrack has been unlocked on the Colliding Worlds website. This soundtrack is the battle theme of the World Warrior team versus the New Generation team, and conveys the spirit of the fight; that no matter what happens, these are two worthy opponents facing off against each other purely for the sake of the fight. Enjoy.   
  
**Chan Yoruyamatiha:** Despite the fact that he's married, Ken isn't all that devoted of a husband. In Gem Fighter his story is basically that he's gotten tired of Eliza and wants to have tea with someone else (and his ending is hilarious: Eliza beats him up when she catches him with Morrigan). Also, in the Street Fighter Flyers there's a story of how Ken tried to pick up another girl during one of Zangief's matches, after SF2. About Mitsukake: he's not really connected with anyone, but I'll try to give him some air time nonetheless.

* * *

_ Nagano, Japan   
Three days have passed _   
  
"You know, I was buried here," Gouken remarked to Sakura and Kirina. The three of them stood outside the expansive grounds of Red Sparrow Castle, gazing up at its magnificent architecture. Red Sparrow Castle towered some forty or fifty meters above the chosen battleground, Genbu Plains. It featured a number of wooden window frames, screen doors, and the overhanging roofs common to classical era Oriental architecture. The fortress was in great need of maintenance. Further back behind the castle a small side path led to the top of the mountain where Gouken had once been buried. It was three hours past noon in Japan; the mountain air was cool and crisp, lending an exhilarating quality to the atmosphere.   
  
Genbu Plains had been chosen as the battlefield, Red Sparrow Castle towering impressively in the background. The Plains themselves were flanked by a forest to the north and the fortress to the east; to the west and south the plains plateaued off a number of sheer cliffs. There were a number of patches of grass littered about, but otherwise the battlefield was smooth, hard, and devoid of vegetation. _At least I don't have to fight on the roof of the castle again,_ Ryu thought to himself.   
  
"I've been here before," Sakura said.   
  
"Me too," Kirina added.   
  
"Well, I haven't," Mitsukake cut in. "I really wish we could've shown up sooner; I would've liked to explore the place. Very beautiful scenery here; I should've brought my brushes."   
  
Sakura glanced to the side, where Ryu, Sagat, and Darrell were stretching. "It's nearly time. Let's go. Hey, Kirina, how about some tea and ice cream after we finish here?"   
  
"Sounds good to me." They assembled to where the judges were waiting.   
  
"New Generation Team, name your tactical leader," Jedah commanded.   
  
"Me." Sakura raised a hand.   
  
"World Warrior Team, identify your tactical leader," Gill echoed.   
  
"Here." Ryu nodded politely to the judge.   
  
Gill and Jedah noted the entries, then had everyone back away, leaving the center of the field clear to Ryu and Sakura. The eternal challenger was dressed as he had always appeared: red headband, white uniform, and a plain black belt. Sakura, for her part, had brought her sailor outfit - it was a fan favorite, after all - out of retirement just for this battle. She hoped that it didn't give anyone the wrong impression. For a long moment neither of them said anything, until Ryu finally broke the silence. "Sakura ... do you really mean to give up the fight once this tournament is over?"   
  
She nodded decisively. "Yes. I have my own life to pursue now. I'll still train, of course, but I won't be as involved as before."   
  
"So be it. Let's end this with one grand finale." So saying, Ryu dropped into his fighting pose. Sakura followed suit, adjusting her headband and wristguards one last time before nodding to Ryu and adopting her own version of the Ansatsuken fighting stance. They had to wait for only a moment; the light brighter than light flashed and Marin's voice rang around them. _Begin!_   
  
"And the action is furious right from the start!" Kyosuke Kagami raved. "One thing's for sure, Ryu's not giving Sakura any quarter at all. The lineup on the World Warrior side is Ryu leading, then Kirina, and Sagat bats cleanup. On the New Generation side, Sakura acts as tactical leader, followed by Darrell and then Mitsukake. Jin, what do you think of this fight?"   
  
"The New Generation team is in for a butt-kicking!" Jin screamed.   
  
Kyosuke studied the hologram where Ryu launched Sakura into the air with a crouching uppercut and followed with a Shoryuken. "They're up against two of the top team fighters in the tournament, and you can probably read their strategy right from the lineup. Ryu starts off to wear down the opposition, Kirina keeps them on their feet and prevents them from recovering, and finally Sagat comes in to win the match. But hang on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen, the New Generation Team - that's really a misnomer, come to think of it - isn't out of the fight yet. Look at that! Great assist from Darrell, stopping Ryu's attack cold."   
  
On the ground, Ryu wiped away a bead of sweat from his forehead. He'd taken a pair of punches in the chest and a kick in the shins, but Sakura had fared much worse. She was panting hard; more than ten years ago, Sakura had been very nearly his equal in skill; it seemed that time had been most unkind to her. Ryu cupped his hands, feeling his power build up within him. His palms shone with bluish energy and in a moment he fired. "Shinkuu ... Hadouken!"   
  
Sakura's eyes snapped upwards, drawn by the sight of the beam cannon speeding towards her. Her instinctive reaction was to block, but hadn't McGrath said something about not meeting force with force? Mentally she shrugged and thought to herself, _why not?_ A moment later she rolled out of the way and the beam sped by harmlessly. From the sidelines Gouken smiled in approval. Ryu grimaced; Sagat shouted a few words of advice.   
  
An ugly bruise had begun to appear around Sakura's left eye where Ryu's fist had found its target earlier, but Sakura went on the offensive regardless. To her experience, Ryu always flagged a little after using his Shinkuu Hadouken. He parried a quick rushing attack by Sakura but was caught unprepared when Darrell appeared behind him and landed a solid flaming kick into his back. Kirina showed up at the last moment with a rushdown assist, but Sakura easily dodged the attack and drove home for the kill. Unfortunately for her, Ryu had recovered by this time. Sakura's punch came out first but Ryu's Shoryuken overrode it regardless, sending her flying through the air. Sakura recovered in midair and landed softly.   
  
Darrell jumped in to assist again; this time, Ryu was ready for him and landed a solid Hadouken in his face, Kirina also appearing to launch a Sniping Arrow. In the midst of the carnage, Sakura rolled forward under a high kick from Ryu and swept his ankles. Mitsukake and Sagat also appeared, the latter springing forward with a powerful Tiger Crush. This attack Sakura managed to dodge, while Mitsukake failed to lock Ryu with his Scissor Takedown. Sakura spun forward with a spinning flower kick; Ryu, who had anticipated the move, hopped over the attack. Both of them landed and went for their super attacks simultaneously.   
  
"Here we go!" Sakura cried.   
  
"Shin -!" Ryu began.   
  
Sakura began her technique first, slashing at Ryu with a spinning kick. Ryu himself had crouched low for an uppercut, and to Sakura utter surprise her leg passed cleanly through Ryu without any impact at all. _No way! Is this what they mean when they talk about startup invincibility?_ Unfortunately, she never had a chance to ask. Ryu sprang out of his crouch and his right hand rammed into Sakura's stomach, knocking all the wind out of her. He twisted around and delivered another devastating uppercut into her jaw with his left arm. Finally he spun again and completed the attack with his right arm, jumping off the ground entirely as he did so. "- Shoryuken!"   
  
"And that is a K.O., ladies and gentlemen!" Jin shouted excitedly.   
  
"Check out how far Sakura is flying!" Kyosuke added, somewhat surprised himself. He glanced at his shrieking co-anchor and decided to keep up his commentary. "Good thing the referees are on standby in case stuff like this happens. Here comes Darrell, who was next in line on the battle roster. Ryu looks a little tired himself; still, he can probably take Darrell with a reasonable level of comfort. Mr. Q., what was that move Ryu knocked Sakura out with?" As he spoke, Darrell jumped into the battlefield wearing a black leather jacket and black denim. He wore red wristguards and a red shirt underneath his jacket.   
  
Q.'s voice, as always, was a dull, emotionless affair that Kyosuke found less interesting than a dial tone. "The Shin Shoryuken is one of the strongest techniques in this tournament, ranking alongside Guy's EXCEED Barrage, Bison's Psycho Drive Crusher, and Ernest's MAXIMUM Mayhem Rampage for sheer damage from a single move. It is second only to the so-called Ultimate Techniques. Kyosuke."   
  
"Thanks, Q., you're as mysterious as ever," Kyosuke replied, voice heavy with sarcasm. "Let's consult with the ground correspondent. Alia, how are things looking from your perspective?"   
  
"Kyosuke, Jin, my analysis indicates that although Ryu is somewhat beaten, he's still more than capable of holding his own against Darrell right now. But that isn't what he wants to do, apparently. Any time now, he'll be switching out with Kirina, he's only looking for a safe occasion to do this. You'll notice that the number of striker assists that Kirina has been contributing has tapered off. They're looking for an opportunity to - yes, here it is." On cue, Ryu pinned Darrell down with a Hadouken; a moment later, he tagged down and backed away from the battlefield, Kirina entering to take his place. Darrell missed his chance to hit back during Kirina's window of vulnerability.   
  
Kirina chose Ansatsuken as her fighting style; some of the elements looked familiar to Darrell, who had studied both Sakura's techniques and Ken's. At the same time, Kirina had something else that was hard to pin down. She wore a blue hakama around her waist and a red robe tightly wrapped around her upper body. She sported a headband, but it was blue and not red like Ryu's. The only concession to fashion style that had been made was a single, long piece of white silk cloth that wrapped from the front of her neck behind her shoulders and down her back, where the two ends were pulled through her black belt. On the ends of that cloth the letters "Fu Rin Ka Zan" had been inscribed in heavy ink. When Kirina blocked a punch and retaliated with a roundhouse kick, Darrell saw that she was wearing lotus shoes.   
  
Apparently Kirina was dealing with the phase that all Ansatsuken users faced at some point, the fireball-uppercut trap phase. "On paper, Kirina has Darrell," Kyosuke noted. "However, battles occur on the field, not on paper. Kirina's being a little predictable here, the same fireball-Dragon Punch routine used by scrub gamers in the arcades. She has to get up close and start pulling combination attacks. Here comes Sagat with an assist - no, wait, knocked out of it by Mitsukake. Kirina and Darrell are really battering at each other now." As he said this, Kirina faked a fireball attack and Darrell dodged to the side, zigzagging into hand-to-hand range; he swiped at Kirina with a flaming blade, expecting to slash through her sides. Instead, Kirina ducked the attack and in a moment had knocked Darrell to the ground with a vicious back sweep.   
  
She followed up with an ax kick aimed at Darrell's temple, only that it never arrived; Mitsukake came in at the last second, bringing his leg crashing into the base of Kirina's neck and knocking her out of the attack. Gouken frowned from the sidelines. Darrell rushed forward to exploit the opening and promptly paid the price when he received a faceful of Sagat's knee. Kirina followed by launching him into the air and tacking on a couple of extra hits. "Aerial rave!" Jin screamed into his microphone. "Seven hit combo ending with a midair Hurricane Kick! Great show of technical skill by Kirina!"   
  
Now wary, Darrell tried to circle and put Kirina between himself and her teammates. He was breathing heavily now, while Kirina looked no worse for wear. Darrell staggered a bit, but met Kirina's attack when she rushed in with a low punch. Darrell blocked the attack. Kirina jumped over a retaliatory kick and dove at him with a flying Hurricane Kick. Darrell countered with a ghetto version of the standard Shoryuken, his fists afire. Unfortunately, he was reminded of why he'd never included the Shoryuken in his repertoire when he missed completely. Kirina landed first, but only by a few milliseconds. Expecting a retaliatory uppercut, Darrell settled in for a high block.   
  
So he was completely floored when Kirina switched styles and took out his left knee with a Sniping Arrow. Dimly he was aware that Mitsukake was shouting to him to tag out, but Darrell refused. Kirina came in again; after half a dozen blows, Darrell was no longer able to maintain adequate defense and took Kirina's heel in his chin. He rolled backwards heavily, stars in his vision and tasting blood in his mouth. He'd never run against the Shadowlaw fighting style before but all reports indicated that it was a dangerous and effective martial art. If so, he wouldn't last much longer under Kirina and Sagat's combined assault. But there was one last chance, if he could lure Kirina backwards ...   
  
"Oh, wow, Kirina's really giving it to Darrell now," Kyosuke observed. "She might even -"   
  
"Why isn't Darrell switching out with Mitsukake?!" Jin screamed. "He won't last much longer under the attack! He has to switch out! Now! Argh, the man's so infuriating I ought to have Blodia shoot him full of holes!"   
  
"She has him now!" Kyosuke called, both he and Jin jumping to their feet as Kirina knocked Darrell into the air with a mighty roundhouse kick. Instantly she hyper canceled the move and jumped into a handstand. Then she sprang off the ground, legs locked and twisting upwards like a human drill. "That's the Reverse Shaft Breaker, folks!" Kyosuke proclaimed. "Unfortunately, it was chained off a launcher, so it won't do anywhere near maximum damage, but even so -"   
  
"Kirina is kicking the daylights out of Darrell!" Jin shouted hysterically.   
  
Kirina landed a number of solid kicks, while Darrell signaled in midair for an assist. He tried to fend off the attack as well he could, but now he was dangerously close to the edge of the battlefield and the attack was more vicious than he'd expected. Kirina kicked one last time; Darrell blocked the strike but flew backwards anyway, propelled by the sheer force of the attack. As he and Kirina fell back to the ground, he struggled to maintain consciousness, succeeding only by the barest of margins. But it was enough. Mitsukake slid in and caught Kirina just as she landed, taking advantage of the Shaft Breaker's abysmal cooldown to lock her tightly in the Scissor Takedown. Kirina could neither move nor defend.   
  
Darrell drew as deeply on his _ch'i_ as he could, while a distant part of his brain sounded warning alarms. Charlie had once talked about dangerous levels of _ch'i_ expenditure in the past. _The human body only has a very limited about of ch'i, you know,_ he'd said. _In order to pull off increasingly more powerful attacks, you'll have to use more and more of your power. But once you hit the upper limit, that's it for you unless you can draw energy from outside sources. So don't anything stupid. You need your ch'i in order to live._ Darrell grimaced and winced; his energy buildup was starting to singe him, something that his flames had never done before. Kirina must have felt it too.   
  
"Sagat!" she cried. "Quickly!"   
  
Now Darrell concentrated his energy into his fists, willing his vital force to flow into his fingertips. He envisioned a river running into his hands. A moment later, both fists burst into bright flame. He threw both hands forward; a pair of molten streams burst out of his palms, twining around each other into one coherent whole that streaked towards his target. Kirina cried out one last time, but her partner was too far away to help. Mitsukake cleared the area at the last moment, leaving Kirina to take the full brunt of the attack. Darrell strained as he attempted to maintain the fire blast for as long as possible while Kirina vanished in a haze of fire and smoke.   
  
The fire snuffed out, the stream from his palms dying with a whimper. But the assault didn't end there. As Darrell watched through curiously swimming vision, a streak of blue light appeared in front of him and widened, giving way to a blue-painted Reploid a moment later. Megaman? As if waiting for a signal, three other machines ran in: Rush, Beat, and Fliptop, each one converging on Megaman with remarkable speed. There was a blinding flash of light and the little blue Reploid seemed to grow to ten times his size. And he looked much, much meaner, sporting a cannon on his left arm that was nearly as big as Darrell himself. A pair of missile launchers popped up from either shoulder pad and machine guns appeared on his sides.   
  
_Of course. Mitsukake's Team super attack,_ Darrell thought wearily to himself. He collapsed on the ground and saw no more.   
  
Megaman fired off a massive beam of energy that dwarfed Darrell's Yugure Hadouken in comparison, at the same time launching a veritable storm of warheads through the air. The attack cleaved a clear path through the battlefield, engulfing Kirina. Sagat, who had jumped in far too late, was barely able to defend himself. Abruptly the onslaught ended and Megaman once more reverted to his normal self, his accessory machines dispersing. He saluted and flew out of the battlefield, Mitsukake himself appearing to take his place.   
  
"Very nice trap by the New Generation team there," Kyosuke commented. "Unfortunately, Darrell must've used up too much of his energy ..."   
  
"It's a double K.O.!" Jin hollered.   
  
"... ahem, anyway, so the World Warrior team is now down one member. However, the New Generation team is back to its last fighter, and he's facing the mighty Emperor of Muay Thai. Mitsukake isn't a fighter by training, so I think -"   
  
"Sagat is going to kick his ass!"   
  
"Whatever you say, Jin. Let's look at the fight in greater detail."   
  
At more than two meters tall, Mitsukake was accustomed to looking down on other people. Sagat, however, had nearly a foot's worth of height advantage over him. He swiftly backed Mitsukake into a corner under a barrage of punches and kicks, by the end of which the one time artist was bleeding and badly bruised. Searching desperately for a solution, Mitsukake called in his one last assist. "Go, Zero!"   
  
And Zero needed no second bidding, dashing through the battlefield with his glowing Z-Saber drawn. The gambit failed as Sagat jumped over the attack and Zero missed his slash. A moment later, the Emperor of Muay Thai had landed and all one hundred kilograms of his weight went into one final attack thrown with full force against Mitsukake. "Tiger ... Uppercut!"   
  
"The World Warrior Team has done it!" Jin screamed. "They've won!"

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
One day has passed _   
  
"Dr. McGrath!"   
  
"Is it important, Vega?" McGrath called back. "I'm rather busy right now!" He was sitting at his desk attempting to piece together the latest parts of the puzzle. Besides Karin and Ibuki and the Darkstalkers, there were more absences to worry his mind. Haggar had been called back to Metro City yesterday to witness at a trial; meanwhile, a call to Yun and Yang had resulted in nothing. McGrath was leaving on an IDC flight within an hour to check on the village himself, Blake Wallis having already gone ahead. Go Hibiki also seemed to be missing. Something wasn't right about this, only McGrath couldn't pin down what it was. There was no pattern to these disappearances.   
  
"I really think you ought to see this!" Vega shouted through the door.   
  
"Alright, coming." McGrath stood up and stretched; his wife had left earlier to train with Guy and Charlie. He picked up his jacket and shrugged it on as he pulled the door open. Vega was there, dressed in a tuxedo and with a worried look on his face. "Give me the details, good or bad."   
  
"See for yourself, doctor." Vega led McGrath into the lounge, where to his surprise McGrath saw that most of the other contestants had already arrived. A large plasma-screen television dominated the far end of the lounge and it was here that most of the attention was fixed. McGrath took the room in one glance. There were a surprising amount of people here and nearly all of them looked either pensive or downright worried. Vega paced restlessly like a caged panther. Then McGrath glanced at the television program and realized why.   
  
"... strange disappearances surrounding the World Collision tournament," a news reporter was saying. "A city-wide alert has already been broadcast over Osaka concerning two girls who have vanished: Karin Kanzuki and Ibuki." The television showed photographs of the girls as well as the phone number where the IDC was coordinating a search and rescue mission. "Information leading to the recovery of one or both girls is currently being valued at ten million yen right now by the Kanzuki conglomerate. If you find a clue, call this toll-free number where the IDC is currently conducting its investigation. The two girls were last seen entering a jewelry shop in downtown Osaka and the IDC has been combing the area ever since."   
  
"Just what we don't need right now," McGrath swore.   
  
"In other news, a variety of unexplained phenomena remain hanging over the World Collision tournament. Besides the rampant speculation as to the identity of the tournament host, M., there have also been sightings of various contestants around Osaka." This time the television showed a brief segment of Blake Wallis, Darrell Markis, and Kenneth Feng fighting with their unknown assailants. After it finished, another short video clip was shown of bloody Dadallent slicing the commandos into pieces. Where had they found those? "Shown in this footage is Dadallent, known in the martial arts community as the Chaos Prince, who is a contestant in the World Collision tournament."   
  
"I think that this is a very dangerous situation," a witness was shown saying. The subtext identified him as the police chief of Osaka. "The man is far too deadly to be controlled by anyone and who knows what he'll do next?"   
  
"And of course, there is the well-known and still unexplained voice at the opening ceremony. Many witnesses clearly identified a feminine voice promising money, glory, and divinity to the winners of the tournament; however, no footage from the stadium has this recording when it supposedly happened. To sum up, many of the events surrounding the World Collision tournament are unexplained. The tournament organizers did not return calls asking for comments. In other news, a derailed train in Tokyo ..."   
  
"Well, what do you think?" Chan asked. Guile hit the remote and the television died.   
  
"Actually, I'm not surprised," McGrath explained. "The World Collision tournament is the second most watched program on television, behind only the 2000 summer Olympics and ahead of the World Cup. It reaches an estimated 1.5 billion viewers per match. It was only a matter of time before someone found out about this. However, that leaves the question: who? It couldn't have been one of us, since there was no commentary on the program from anyone actually in the tournament. So it must have been either an anonymous leak or investigative reporting. I'll be honest with everyone here; the disappearance situation looks a lot worse than they showed on television. Besides Karin and Ibuki, we're missing the Darkstalkers and possibly the Dragons. Rose also remains absent; Bison has been trying to contact her for three days straight with no response. Go Hibiki's gone, too. We really don't need the negative publicity right now."   
  
"If the news gets out on who the sponsor of this tournament really is ..." Captain Commando began.   
  
"It better not beforehand," McGrath replied, "Or else we will never hear the end of it. I've asked my commanding officers to dispatch more manpower to this tournament, but the request was denied; IDC resources are already strained too thin. I hate to say this, but if worst comes to worst your BEAT teams may be pulled from security duty. For now, our priority is locating the missing people."   
  
"Any leads?" Bison asked.   
  
McGrath shook his head. "No credible ones. Listen, all of you. If anyone asks, none of us here know anything about who M. is, alright? Luckily Jin and Kyosuke haven't found out yet, otherwise I'm sure they'd have blabbered it by now. Someone get ahold of Gen and inform him of the arrangements. And let your teammates know that we're keeping a secret when they get back." There were nods from all directions. With that the crowd began to disperse, breaking apart in ones and twos and threes. McGrath remained in the room with a pensive look on his face, troubles clearly building up on his mind.   
  
"He looks so stressed," Regina said to Commando, worry heavy in her own beautiful voice. "I wish there was something I could do for him."   
  
"Regina."   
  
"Yes?"   
  
The captain drew her aside. "Look, Regina, I overheard your conversation two days ago with the cashier in the jewelry shop. You shouldn't have told her who you are."   
  
"Oh?" Regina studied his glasses, behind which his eyes were unreadable. "Should I not reveal the fact that I'm a goddess?"   
  
Commando sighed. "There's no easy way to say this. This world is not as kind as you believe it to be. In my opinion, it was a mistake for you to reveal your divinity to anyone, even us. Those who do not believe you will laugh at you and scorn you. And among those who do believe, there are people who would try to make your power their own, for their own ends. Some of them are in this very tournament. I know that you see a good side and a dark side in everyone, and that you want to believe in the good side. But take this from someone who has seen more than you have: trust no one implicitly. That way, you won't do something that you may regret later."   
  
"I see. Thanks for the advice, captain."   
  
"One more thing." Commando adjusted the ten-gallon hat that he wore. "I heard from the doctor that Bison wanted to speak with you alone, right before Sakura reported that Karin and Ibuki were missing. What did he want to talk about?"   
  
"He was having some problems with a machine of his," Regina replied. "Apparently he couldn't find enough power to keep it active, so he asked to borrow some of my power."   
  
"What?!" Commando seized Regina by the shoulders. "Did you let him?!"   
  
"Of course!" Regina winced slightly; Commando let go and instantly apologized. "No harm done, captain. I siphoned off a bit of my power and gave it to him for his machine. I can't remember exactly what he called it - a Psycho something. Should I not have done that?"   
  
"The Psycho Drive," Commando finished grimly. "Ryu or Charlie could tell you more, but I'll say what I know. Bison planned to use that machine to bring the world to its knees, ten years ago. That time he was foiled by multiple people. The Psycho Drive channels negative emotions from all over the world, which are then used to power Bison far beyond what he is normally capable of doing. Bison's fighting style, Psycho Power, is based on manipulation of negative emotions. If he has a fully functional Psycho Drive ... he could destroy this world, and he probably will."   
  
"Oh no!" Regina gasped.   
  
"How much power did you lend him?" Commando asked.   
  
"Barely any, actually," Regina said thoughtfully. "Let me show you exactly what I did for him. Hold out your hand." Commando did as he was asked. Regina passed her right hand over his and touched palm to palm. Nothing visible occurred, but suddenly Commando was on his knees gasping for breath and clutching at his heart. "Oh dear! I'm so sorry!" Regina cried. "I didn't mean to ... I didn't realize ... are you hurt?"   
  
"N-no," Commando replied, visibly shaken as he staggered uneasily to his feet. "Just surprised, is all. You call that a little power?!"   
  
"Well, of course. It was so insignificant that I could barely sense it at all." Regina passed her hand over Commando's face, searching for any signs of permanent damage. Apparently she was satisfied with what she found, as she made no attempt to heal him. "Please understand, captain. Most immortals never assume a physical form, as being in a human body places a rather severe limit on our strength. Right now I can only wield a small fraction of the power that I would normally handle as a goddess. Gill is an exception, but that's because most of his power comes directly from what Marin lent to him. Still, by my reckoning his power is almost unnoticeable."   
  
"Then your scale is way different from mine," Commando replied. "I thought my body was going to burst from all that power. Why, I could've built Rome in a day with the strength that you lent me. Is Marin as powerful as you?"   
  
"My sister is a class-SX goddess, one of the two highest ranks of immortals," Regina stated, sitting down on a couch. Commando joined her there. Regina brushed back a strand of her hair and continued, "For both sheer power as well as finesse, my dear sister can outdo me easily. She doesn't normally resort to her power, though; she prefers to work things out patiently with skill rather than force. There is only one time that she truly had to use all the power at her command. It occurred just before I was born, but later I heard the story from my angels.   
  
"Marin once loved a god named Eldrin. They courted for many centuries and Heaven predicted their marriage at any time. My sister still refers to those times as the happiest in her life. But that peace did not last after Marin discovered his dark secret. Eldrin, you see, chose a planet and as a demonstration of his power destroyed both of its moons. Obviously no mortal could oppose a god and he reigned unopposed for as long as anyone there could remember, harvesting the souls of the dead and consuming them in order to increase his own power. Strictly speaking, this isn't forbidden under the rules, but it's still an offensive practice nonetheless. The peace finally ended when my sister followed him there and she was truly horrified by what she saw. When words failed, they fought. Guess how long the war lasted?" Regina held up four fingers.   
  
"Four days? No, four hours? Four weeks? Not that either ... surely you can't mean four months?!" Commando exclaimed.   
  
Regina shook her head. "Forty years as you count time," she said softly. "Forty years they fought back and forth across the Heavens and laid waste to an entire galaxy. My sister finally won that battle, sealing away Eldrin's soul in the Void between reality. But, she was heartbroken by the disaster that the war had brought; nearly every star in the sky had been extinguished and the humans on Eldrin's world almost entirely wiped out. So my sister stayed behind to guide them in rebuilding their planet. She lived there for hundreds of years, only returning after hearing of my birth and the death of our mother. I was able to visit that world once, several hundred years ago; last I checked, it was flourishing quite well. Marin still carries a memento from that time; her new weapon, the Rainbow Swallow, which she forged from the stars that fell in the war. She wields it to remind herself of the terrible destruction that would ensue if she ever became careless with her power."   
  
"Forty years ..." Commando said to himself. "And I thought that Dr. McGrath's night-long battle against Dadallent took forever. Tell me more about your sister."   
  
Regina smiled happily. "Besides being my sister, Marin is also my best friend here or anywhere. In many ways, she's the mother I never knew. Marin always took training very seriously; however, that didn't mean that we couldn't have some fun together. She was forever getting me involved in all sorts of activities. Her regimen was rigorous but very enjoyable. Nearly all of what I know now can be directly attributed to something that she taught me. I wish the tournament finals were already here and you could meet Marin. She'd like you, I'm certain of that."   
  
"She sounds like a nice person," Commando agreed.   
  
_She sounds like a nice person,_ McGrath thought to himself as Regina and Commando left the room, leaving him alone to think. _But somehow I still cannot shake off the feeling that Marin has some sinister motive in mind. Regina and I talked about this just last night. She was adamant in defending her sister. And if Marin really is as powerful as I suspect, then why hasn't she done anything about these disappearances? If only we had some sort of clue ... I really ought to press Regina - and Sakura and Lloyd, come to think of it - for more information. I'm so terribly confused._ McGrath sighed to himself and slowly paced back to his room, lost in thought. He still had a flight to catch in half an hour.   
  
_Why did you come here, Regina?_ he'd asked last night.   
  
_Because I heard of the event that my sister was planning,_ she'd explained. _I wanted to meet and befriend everyone first. There really is no other reason._ And McGrath had been satisfied with the answer. Regina was, after all, a guileless soul, so that and her alibi could automatically remove her from any complicity with the disappearances or any ulterior motive underlying the tournament. But the doctor was dissatisfied. Regina plainly had no idea on what her sister specifically wanted out of the tournament. McGrath would rather that she knew and be not willing to say, as he knew all sorts of conversational traps and tricks to get someone to reveal information better kept secret. He swung the door open and stepped into his room. In the bathroom, Samantha could be heard singing to herself as she showered.   
  
"Doctor."   
  
McGrath seated himself and did not need to look up to know who had addressed him. "Yes, Dadallent?" He pulled a pen out of the desk drawer and began to write, jotting down notes on the investigation. With his free hand he sorted through a number of photographs lying around. The search had really bogged down due to lack of credible leads.   
  
"About those girls ... you cannot sense their spirits either, can you?"   
  
McGrath shook his head wearily and laid the pen down, turning around in his chair to look at Dadallent. The blindfolded warrior was standing at the far end of the room, arms folded, facing the window so that his face was hidden from view. Behind him, the shower had stopped running. "I don't have your level of spiritual sensitivity, but I spoke with Regina earlier and she couldn't sense their spirits. So, yes, I am considering the possibility that they may in fact be dead. Of course, no one will accept my spiritual sense as any sort of hard proof. Many times I don't trust it myself. But why do you care?"   
  
"Promise me one thing, doctor."   
  
"Before you say it," McGrath responded warily, "first tell me why you would come here expecting anything of me. In case you've forgotten, you tried to kill me three times in the past." Those fights hadn't exactly been pleasant memories for McGrath either; it had taken him a week to recover from Dadallent's Ravage Assault after their first match. The second match McGrath had expended nearly all of his energy with no result to show for it, while the final match had nearly cost both warriors their lives.   
  
"It is precisely that I tried and failed to kill you that I ask this of you. I wouldn't trust anyone else."   
  
"Alright, name it. Then I'll decide whether or not to promise you." Inwardly McGrath braced himself. The three times that they had fought, Dadallent had always offered him the deathmatch right before the battle commenced. McGrath's could've declined to fight at any time - they were both honorable warriors, after all - only that had he not accepted the challenge, Dadallent would doubtlessly have gone searching for other opponents. Underlying McGrath's agreement to do battle was the realization that very few people were anywhere near a match for the Chaos Prince, but he was one of them. Dadallent crossed the room in slow, purposeful strides, bent over and whispered for some time into McGrath's ears.   
  
Then he stood up and straightened. "About Go Hibiki."   
  
"Yes?" McGrath asked, not at all certain that he would like what he heard. Go had been missing for two days without having told anyone where he'd gone. His spirit was a notoriously difficult one to pin down - having been dead and then resurrected did that, McGrath thought - although Regina had done it without any trouble when he'd first vanished, so McGrath still wasn't too worried about him. That is, until Dadallent's next words changed his mind.   
  
"He found me last night and tried to avenge his son."   
  
The doctor sighed; he'd feared that Dadallent would say as much. Go had been a member of McGrath's generation, but McGrath knew of his battle with Sagat, the battle that had cost Sagat his eye and Go his life. Both were accomplished in Muay Thai; they still were, come to think of it. "It was a painless passing, I hope," McGrath voiced. "You killed him quickly, didn't you?"   
  
"Yes. He earned it."   
  
McGrath was about to speak when the door to the bathroom opened and Samantha stepped out, wrapped in a negligee and wearing a pair of slippers. She halted when she saw Dadallent and directed an enquiring glance at her husband, appraising the Chaos Prince item by item as she did so. Dadallent did not move an inch from his position but he must have been aware of her presence. Samantha asked the question a moment later. "Ernest, am I interrupting something?"   
  
"We've just about finished our business here," McGrath replied, still trying to make sense of what Dadallent had asked of him. McGrath stood up and crossed over to the closet, pulling out a robe for his wife. He handed it to Samantha, speaking as he did so. "Why should I do this for you, Dadallent? I've seen your record, all the people you've killed. Many of them were good friends of mine and I wept at their funerals. I repeat, why should I do this?"   
  
"You have no reason to do this for me."   
  
The reply was flat and honest; McGrath had expected no less. Samantha held the robe but did not attempt to return to the bathroom and dress herself. Her eyes darted back and forth questioningly between McGrath and Dadallent, the latter of whom still had not moved after speaking with McGrath. And the Chaos Prince was right; McGrath really had no reason to do it for him, except for a word that they had both left unspoken. _Respect._ The mutual respect shown by worthy opponents for each other. McGrath nodded. "Very well, after the tournament. When will the time be right?"   
  
"You will know," was the only answer as Dadallent and his black aura faded into nothingness. 


	14. Match VI: The Killer Bees vs Lords of Sh...

**Round 1-6: The Killer Bees vs. Lords of Shadowlaw**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Another update. M.'s concept art has been added to the art gallery. I couldn't find any picture that accurately represented Marin as I envisioned her, so I had to sketch my own drawing. Unfortunately, I'm not all that good with a scanner, so you'll be able to tell which picture it is at first glance. (Hint: It's the shabby-looking one at the bottom.) If you think you can draw better (and you probably can), then please do and show me.

* * *

_ Svalbard, Norway   
Three days have passed _   
  
Ice. As far as the eye could see, the island of Svalbard was covered in ice. A mountain towered in the distance, illuminated only by the play of the Northern Lights. The chosen battlefield was a lake that was entirely covered by several feet of rock-solid ice. The surface shimmered dimly like a rainbow mirror. The aurora was unusually brilliant this night and despite the below-freezing temperature nobody actually felt cold. More of Marin's odd power at work, Cammy White supposed. She tested the ice with a hard stomp, then a diving Cannon Spike aimed straight into the ground. The ice held firmly. There was a calming quality about the entire winterbound scene that would've proved most pleasant in a different setting.   
  
Nearby, Juni and Juli wore their old Doll uniforms. Cammy herself sported a Delta Red commando suit, complete with military-style boots and wristguards. Her beret hung rakishly at an angle. The camera crews had also arrived and were busy in the process of setting up their equipment. Cammy walked to her old squadmates and they conversed in low voices.   
  
"It is time," Gill announced grandly ten minutes later. "Killer Bees, name your tactical leader."   
  
"Here." Cammy stepped up to the center of the battlefield as her squadmates back off.   
  
"Lords of Shadowlaw, name your tactical leader," Jedah ordered.   
  
"Me." M. Bison strode up to Cammy, his armored boots clicking ominously on the icy surface. His great cape had been wrapped around his body and he looked most intimidating, staring down at Cammy from his sizable height advantage. Behind him, Vega and Balrog backed off to the sidelines.   
  
"S-sir Bison ..." Cammy began.   
  
"Save the soap opera, doll," Bison replied dismissively. He pulled his cape off and his right hand took on a bright violet glow for a moment. The cape disappeared in a wash of purple flames.   
  
"Why you -! Have at you!" Cammy sank into a fighting stance. When the incredibly bright light flashed all around them and Marin called _Begin!_, Cammy needed no second bidding. She rushed forward and aimed a merciless Cannon Drill directly at Bison, channeling all of her anger into the attack. _We cared for you, Bison! You betrayed us, not the other way around! Now that you won't take us back, all that's left is to kill you here and now!_   
  
Cammy skidded to a halt without having hit anything. She righted herself; as she did so, a draft of wind suddenly blew past. She turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of Bison sliding past and lashed out with a backhand, but she clipped only wind. The retaliation came swiftly in the form of a kick into the back of her knees, sending Cammy sprawling on the ice. She got up quickly, throwing up a Cannon Spike as she did so. But Bison had disappeared again and slid behind Cammy.   
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to the World Collision tournament where the action is already hot." Kyosuke Kagami sipped idly from a plastic cup of bubble tea as he gave out the battle commentary. "Bison's playing a cat-and-mouse game right now and it looks like Cammy's fallen right into the trap. The matchup's a bit uneven, since amongst her team Cammy is the only one who stayed in fighting form after the Shadowlaw incidents ten years ago. On the other side, the Lords of Shadowlaw feature three considerably dangerous fighters and Bison is probably the top team combatant in this entire tournament. So the bet is -"   
  
"Bison is going to beat the cream out of them!" Jin roared.   
  
"Um, yeah, that's what I was about to say. Cammy's being worn out fast, while Bison still hasn't made much of an effort to take the fight home. Alia, how does it look over there in Svalbard?"   
  
"Kyosuke, the night is absolutely beautiful here in Norway. What's not beautiful is the way that Bison is baiting Cammy. She's being worn out, she has to rely more on her teammates. Juni's been throwing in the random assist, but so far Bison is controlling the fight. He hasn't called out his teammates at all. Let's take a closer look." As she said that, Bison again dodged a kick from Cammy, turning his back and brushing his hands down his uniform contemptuously. Cammy launched a Cannon Drill aimed at Bison's back, but Bison also avoided that attack with a back roll on the surface of the ice. Before Cammy had even touched the frozen lake, Bison's boots came crashing into her back as he nailed her with a Scissor Kick. Cammy landed heavily; she couldn't remember when he'd ever been _that_ fast.   
  
Bison folded his arms; Cammy signaled for an assist attack and Juni came flying in with a Spiral Arrow kick. Bison merely sidestepped the attack. When Juni skidded to a halt on the ice and stood, Cammy rushed forward and tried to save her, but it was too late; Bison hooked Juni's back ankle with his own, planted his hooking foot and launched a roundhouse with his other leg, catching Juni squarely under the chin and sending her flying a moment later. Cammy struck at Bison as he completed his throw but he simply used the momentum of his spin to catch her with his arm and throw her also. Cammy righted herself in midair, at the same time wondering when he'd acquired that move. Of course; he'd have studied the battle data on Samantha McGrath, who also used the Scissor Leg Throw.   
  
Cammy glanced upright; Bison sneered at her, then abruptly faded into a glowing outline before disappearing altogether. When he reappeared about a second later, it was above her head and coming down with a vicious stomp. There wasn't enough time to counter with a Cannon Spike, but Cammy did signal for an assist. She blocked the head stomp; Juni flew in with a Cannon Spike, but clipped only empty air as Bison warped again. This time he emerged right behind Cammy and struck with a kick to her sides, leaving the former assassin gasping in pain. Wincing to herself, Cammy gave another signal and jumped out.   
  
"Now she's being replaced by Juni," Kyosuke observed. "Let's hope that better teamwork characterizes this latest addition to the fight." The overhead aurora intensified in brilliance as Juni tried to close on Bison with a number of punches and kicks. She ticked him a number of times, then went on the offensive. "He fell for the oldest trick in the book!" Kyosuke exclaimed wildly. "Tick, tick, tick, throw! Juni's grabbed Bison with the Earth Direct!" And indeed, Juni had Bison in a firm lock and spiraled upwards, halting the jump at its apex and coming down hard. She doubtlessly intended to crush Bison's chest between her knees and the ice. Unfortunately, Bison warped away at the very last moment and Juni nearly broke her kneecaps on the unforgiving surface of the battlefield.   
  
Bison charged, launching a Scissor Kick through the air at Juni. She signaled for an assist that came way too late to prevent Bison's boots from kicking her most thoroughly in the torso. Worse, a stabbing pain was shooting through her legs and she couldn't stand. Juni waved for Juli to take her place and crawled off the battleground, where she and Cammy tended to her injured knees.   
  
Instead of attacking head-on as Cammy and Juni had, Juli beckoned Bison to come to her. A tense standoff lasted for a moment as she crouched in a ready position while Bison folded his arms and glared impassively at her. Then he warped. Juli cursed; she spun around and Bison seized her by the neck, raising her into the air before casually throwing her off to one side. He warped almost immediately and appeared in Juli's flight trajectory, launching a Psycho Shot into her back. The ball of energy burned like fire and it was all Juli could do to keep from screaming.   
  
"And Juli isn't faring any better than her teammates," Kyosuke remarked. "Looks like Bison is gradually shifting from a counterattack posture into an offensive posture. He's definitely pressuring Juli with his very abusable Scissor Kicks. For those of you just joining us, the current matchup pits the Killer Bees against the Lords of Shadowlaw and the bees -"   
  
"They're being owned for free!" Jin screamed.   
  
"Right, what he said. Let's take a look at the action as it occurs." The camera turned back to where Juli fought frantically to stop Bison, periodically signaling Cammy for cover fire. Juni's knees had apparently been bandaged to her satisfaction. Once, during a particularly ill-advised attack, both Cammy and Juli were hit by the same Scissor Kick. Bison smirked and folded his arms across his chest, smiling evilly. When Juli launched a Sniping Arrow at him, he kicked aside her leg and planted his boot in her chin in the same motion. Seeing stars, Juli opted to switch out with Cammy.   
  
Now freshened by her brief respite, Cammy jumped into the battlefield, at the same time noting resentfully that on the other side Vega and Balrog were playing a game of cards. Bison moved fast; he feinted to the right and Cammy drove in with a kick, which he dodged. A moment later she assumed a peculiar defensive position and Bison attacked with a swift kick. Cammy twisted fully and swiped at Bison with a backhand, which he ducked. That gave him the time he needed to close the distance and in a moment Bison had seized Cammy by both shoulders.   
  
"It's the Heartbreak Despair!" Jin yelled.   
  
And indeed it was. With her arms pinned to her sides, Cammy could not defend as Bison kicked out both of her knees. She collapsed but didn't make it to the ground; a moment later Bison was laying into her with a storm of close-range kicks, finishing with the Scissor Leg Throw that he'd used on Juni earlier. Cammy landed hard; looking up, she seemed to see three images of Bison sneering at her. He pulled his cap off and straightened his hair - his taunt, Cammy knew. She decided to seize her opportunity and shouted, "Let's go bees!"   
  
Juni and Juli appeared beside her a moment later just as Bison finished setting his cap on his head. Winding up, Cammy released the team super attack as she arced towards Bison in an enhanced Cannon Drill, intending to catch him squarely on the chest. If she could ... she doubted that even Bison could withstand a trio of Drive Smashers hitting him all at once. But just as she brushed his uniform without really making contact, Bison was gone, receding into the distance as a number of successively darker images trailed behind him, only his signature evil chuckle marking his passage. Cammy realized what was happening even as she frantically tried to stop her attack. It was, of course, too late; the Spin Drive Smasher could not be halted in time.   
  
"_Psycho Crusher!_" Bison flew in spinning like a living rocket, his entire body awash with pure Psycho energy that seemed to engulf the whole battlefield. The Psycho Drive Crusher tore across the frozen lake and reached the unfortunate bees in an instant, catching them in the middle of their team-up attack. With more than three meters of energy concentrated in front of his physical body, Bison's ultimate technique ripped through all three of the women and sent them flying in three different directions, their trajectories highlighted by the streams of Psycho energy that trailed after them. All three landed hard and did not stir; Vega and Balrog cursed as Juni crashed between them, upsetting a delicate balance of cards.   
  
"And the winner ... the Lords of Shadowlaw!" Gill proclaimed, his voice booming through Osaka stadium.   
  
Vega sighed. "What a waste of time, I could've been getting my beauty sleep."

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Three days have passed _   
  
"Juni, Juli?! Wait, where are you going?" Cammy White looked up from a cup of tea and ran to her teammate as the orange-haired girl neared the entrance of the hotel, a number of bags in hand. Juli also lugged a heavy suitcase behind Juni. Both of them waited until Cammy had caught up before glancing at each other. "What's going on, where are you taking all of this?"   
  
"I'm leaving," Juni said flatly. "We lost that fight, didn't we? I don't want to stay around anymore, I can watch the tournament on TV. It was nice pairing up with you again, Cammy, but I have a flight to catch in an hour. Juli is helping me with the luggage."   
  
"Are you leaving too?" Cammy asked the dark-haired girl.   
  
"No." Juli shook her head firmly. "I'll still be around to watch my daughter progress through the tournament. Although ... maybe Juni has the right idea. I got the latest news from Mason and Jill; besides the girls and the Darkstalkers, two of the Dragons are definitely missing. Yin arrived in their village but Yun and Yang never did. When the IDC ran a check, their flight had arrived in Hong Kong and they had boarded the plane but no one saw them get off of it. The airport sent their baggage to Yin. It was like Yun and Yang had vanished en route to China. Nobody's heard anything from Yin after that first day, too." Juli shivered a little as she said this and Cammy could not help but feel apprehensive.   
  
"Let me help you with that, then," Cammy said softly and a little sadly as she and Juli towed the oversized suitcase between them. Outside, Vega and Balrog had also appeared to escort Juni. The Bees exchanged words with the men, said a long goodbye - Vega and Cammy hugged each other, at one point - before piling into the limousine and being driven to the airport.   
  
The two Lords of Shadowlaw walked back inside leisurely, meeting Guile and Scott Wagner as they did so. "What's the latest news on the investigation?" Vega asked when they'd all been seated.   
  
Guile shook his head. "Not good. The girls are gone; the Darkstalkers are gone; two of the Dragons are AWOL; Go Hibiki's been killed by Dadallent; Rose is also missing; more people remain unaccounted for. Dr. McGrath's just about ready to pull out his hair, he's feeling so stressed. He looks dead tired and terribly preoccupied. And ... I don't know if there's any truth to this ... but rumor has it that Dadallent challenged him to a deathmatch after the end of the tournament. McGrath wouldn't say and neither would Samantha; everyone else's view is just opinion." To Guile's knowledge, when Samantha had asked her husband about his conversation with Dadallent, the reply had been _I don't want to trouble you with it._ If anything, it had made Samantha even more troubled.   
  
"Do ya think he'll do it?" Balrog asked.   
  
"Do what?" Guile wanted to know.   
  
"Take up Dadallent's challenge, that's what. That boy seems like a pretty mean customer."   
  
"No kidding," Guile muttered. "McGrath and Dadallent fought three times in the past, neither of them ever winning a clear victory. Some people believe that one of the two is destined to die by the other's hand. I never believed in this whole fate deal myself, but it does make you wonder." He shook his head clear. "What do we know, though? Dadallent came and spoke with McGrath, that's what; we don't even know if a formal challenge was issued. The real issue at hand is all those confounded disappearances."   
  
"Lord Bison already set a number of our agents on the case," Vega noted. "So far, nothing."   
  
"Surprise, surprise," Wagner drawled.   
  
As the four of them talked back and forth, a lone figure listened from an interior balcony situated one floor above them. Regina was seated outside of Gill's room in a comfortable wicker chair, where she could hear everything in the hotel reception area and lounge. She had a pair of knitting needles and a ball of yarn and had stopped humming to herself the moment Vega spoke. Regina glanced down at the more-than-half-complete sweater that she was knitting for Ken. _A peace offering that I'm making with my own hands. I'll lay a spell on it, of course, so that when he wears it he'll be better able to resist any charm I accidentally send his way. I still can't believe that I might've seduced him. Accident or no, it is my fault and I must make up for it._   
  
"You could finish your task in but moments, my lady, if you used your power," Gill said from within the room. Regina glanced at him; he was looking up from a thick book that he was reading. Something about philosophy, no doubt; it was a favorite pastime of his.   
  
She smiled gently without breaking her stride. "That's true, Gill, and I appreciate your concern for me. But ... when I stitch it together, piece by piece, it's like a bit of my heart goes into each fold. Every last strand is a dear friend to me. Therefore, when I finish, I will know this sweater intimately. I want my love to be in it when I present it to Ken." She smoothed a crease in the yarn and smiled down on the cloth. Gill simply shook his head, understanding her answer without comprehending it, before turning back to his book looking for some insight that would help him realize what Regina meant. "Gill," Regina said suddenly, "while you were under Marin's jurisdiction, did she ever say anything about me?"   
  
"Much," the seraph replied, setting his book aside and standing up. He joined Regina on the balcony and gazed outward, looking quite handsome in his tuxedo. "The Lady Marin spoke more of you than any other person on Heaven or Earth, divine or mortal. She cared for your well-being very much. Understandable, perhaps, seeing as how she was in essence your foster mother, my lady."   
  
"Yes." Regina paused for a short second. "Have you ... have you ever seen her in battle?"   
  
"I witnessed more than once an occasion when the Lady Marin trained the fighting valkyries -" Gill began.   
  
"I don't mean training," Regina said. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she added quickly. Then, before Gill could protest that no angel was worthy of an apology from a goddess, Regina forged ahead on her train of thought. "I've been in more than one war with my sister at my side. The Marin I know is usually a kind and gentle soul, and she approached my training with the same type of guidance; in battle, however, she takes on an entirely different quality. She takes combat quite seriously and grimly; sometimes, I think, she even enjoys fighting, though never for its own sake if I'm not mistaken."   
  
"What do you mean, my lady?" Gill inquired slowly.   
  
"I - it's just a memory I have, really, of a time when Marin and I were caught up in a war, millennia ago on a different world. We went there as part of my training, to learn some mundane skills that might be useful in the mortal planes. It was there, I think, that I first learned just how serious Marin could be about war if she were provoked. I was startled and perhaps a little frightened to see that side of her." Regina looked out into empty space, setting down her knitting needles. Below, the four men previously conversing together had dispersed. "This was before you were created, Gill. Marin and I visited a beautiful world together ..."   
  
_It was their second day upon that planet and their contact with humans had been quite limited so far. Regina was seated underneath an apple tree with a book in hand. Marin tended to preparing a small meal for the two of them, having foraged a number of roots and berries earlier. Both of them wore tight but comfortable clothing ideal for traveling through heavily forested terrain. And heavily forested it was, the ground thick with moss and lichen, the massive cedar trees blocking out any direct view of the sun overhead. Other than Marin's Rainbow Swallow, which she wore on her back, there was no visible weapon between them. They were currently taking a short break as Marin taught Regina about surviving in the wild. While most immortals saw such skills as beneath their notice, Marin considered no advantage too mundane to equip her sister with.   
  
Marin had just about finished making lunch when it happened. A deer started out of the thicket, not twenty meters from where Marin and Regina camped. The animal was plainly frightened and Regina called to it; a moment later, the sisters saw why its eyes ran wild with terror. The deer raced to Regina and the goddess tried to soothe the terrified animal as a pair of hunters crashed through the woods hot on the trail. One of them immediately let loose a bolt from his crossbow, aimed straight at his quarry. He gave a shout as he realized that the deer was not the only living creature under the apple tree and Regina's eyes widened as she saw the bolt streaking at her. As it was, Marin's weapon flashed into her hand and she skillfully parried the bolt, sending it falling harmlessly to the ground. Had Regina been able to see, she would have noticed a dangerous look in Marin's eyes. Her older sister's aura alone was quite threatening.   
  
"Pardon me, lady, I did not see you or your companion!" the man who had launched the bolt cried. He and his friend quickly covered the ten or so meters separating them from Marin, staying just beyond the reach of the Rainbow Swallow. By this time Regina had succeeded in calming the poor deer. "I do most humbly beg your pardon, lady," the man continued.   
  
"Very well, sir, I accept your apology," Marin replied, hanging her twin-bladed weapon on her back. "My name is Marin, and behind me is my sister Regina," she continued. "We are simple travelers with no particular destination. Would you care to join us for dinner?" Mentally she sent a notice to Regina that they were not to reveal what they truly were, as per their ordinary protocol.   
  
"I admit, lady, that I am famished," the man responded. He wore hunting clothes that effectively blended in with the surrounding forestscape, as did his friend, and the two of them sported simple iron daggers probably used for skinning. Both of them looked to be about in their mid-twenties or so, although Regina had never been a good guesser of human age. "I am the Baron Furinax. This is Le Riand, captain of my personal guard. We were hunting but now on the castle grounds. This place is actually restricted property, though you must be travelers from far away and as such ignorant of this matter, so I will not fault you."   
  
"How did you discern that we come from afar, sir?" Marin asked as she knelt down and divided two portions into four. Regina joined them and they picnicked under the apple tree, the deer never straying far from Regina's side. The goddess fed the animal a few berries.   
  
"Your weapon is a most beautiful work," Furinax stated, "of a craftsmanship unknown in this country."   
  
"And you wield it with great skill," Le Riand added. "In this country, it is unheard of for a woman to bear arms."   
  
So they talked over the meal, Regina deferring mostly to Marin except when she had questions of her own. The four spent a good hour under the apple tree discussing the world at large and Regina learned a lot more about the barony that they were passing through. Apparently it was a large and important kingdom but beset on all sides by contentious neighbors, not to mention the wild barbarians from the south. Furinax had come out hunting to get away from affairs of the state for a brief morning and so far he and Le Riand had caught nothing between them. When Furinax eyed the deer, Regina persuaded him that it were better to let the animal go and the baron consented. Both men seemed to be struck by the beauty of the two sisters and later Regina was to discover why. In a barony where nearly everyone had dark eyes and black hair, she and Marin had stood out the moment the baron had seen them.   
  
"You seem well-read and experienced," Furinax said at last. "You must have traveled quite far for some time. Why not come to the castle with me? We could use two women of your skills there; you make an excellent meal, Marin, and you can both read and write, Regina, besides having a way with animals. Fortune knows that we have few enough of either in the capital."   
  
"We are wanderers," Marin replied. "Your offer is a most generous one, but we must decline."   
  
"Even wanderers may find shelter under our walls," Furinax stated. "Our policy is to never turn away anyone, even though it may be our most implacable enemy come to seek aid."   
  
"Very well, sir, if my sister raises no objections, then we may remain for a winter." Regina, of course, had no problem with the idea and the four of them walked back together to the castle. And the baron hadn't been lying. The castle was situated on a beautiful mountain slope and commanded a view of the countryside, overlooking the bustling capital city. It was a regular fortress and its clean white stones shone in any angle of the sun. The whole place was indeed a fairy tale-like setting, a beautiful locale to dwell upon._   
  
"That was a happy time for me," Regina recalled, smiling fondly. "I tended the animals and clerked for the baron; eventually, he promoted me to overseeing his treasury. Marin did everything; she worked as a cook, a seamstress, a messenger, anything you could think of. And I believed that she blessed the barony because of its hospitality to us. But she never trained in weapons while she was there. It was something about honor, I think; if my sister had practiced her weaponry, it would have shamed the men by implying their skills to be so inadequate that women had to be called upon to protect the barony. So we passed a happy winter there and come springtime Marin didn't leave the way we had originally planned to. We spent maybe two years in that place and the two of us were forever being courted by young men." Regina laughed; the area of Gill's face where the red met the blue had turned purple with suppressed indignity. Then she sobered somewhat and continued with her story.   
  
_The spring of the third year there - that was when the happiness ended. Marin awoke one night to the sound of the town crier and quickly roused Regina. They heard the bad news from Le Riand; a horde of barbarians had come up from the south and was laying waste to everything in its path. A battle had already been fought at the River Rush, the only defensible location south of the citadel, and that skirmish had ended in a stalemate. Since neither Le Riand nor the general were certain about engaging in another battle with an army that outnumbered their own twenty to one, the forces had been pulled back to the capital. The populace was being ordered to either leave the capital for towns further north or find shelter in the castle.   
  
Furinax's castle might've looked pretty, but it was also one tough nut to assault. Only one moderately broad path led to it up the mountainside and that path could be commanded by squads of ambushed archers. No moat was there, but none was needed. North and west the castle was backed by the mountainside, while to the south sheer cliffs made it impossible in practice to move a large army to assault the location. That left only the eastern approach up the broad path as a practical locale and it was this path that the baron's men fortified. Regina had never had much interest in theories of war but at least Marin had made sure that she was well-informed in them. Attacking the fortress might prove both difficult and costly, but it was possible. So was siege, if the invading army were prepared to wait a whole year for winter. Marin assured her that they would not.   
  
The horde came on and Regina wept as the barbarians torched the capital city. She begged her older sister to stay out of the coming conflict and Marin reluctantly agreed, watching with Regina from the keep as the horde inched its way up the slopes of the mountain. It took a month and a half as well as terrific losses, but finally the barbarians were camped outside the fortress itself. Furinax had lost a fifth of his fighting men; while the losses were higher on the enemy side, the beleaguered baron was still outnumbered at least fifteen to one. The situation went from bad to worse when an allied duchy had to pull back its relief force when she herself was invaded by neighboring kingdoms. Furinax worried constantly about his people. The enemy officers made it clear that they were not interested in prisoners.   
  
So Marin remained indoors and chafed while a battering ram outside knocked constantly on the castle's massive white gates. And then, two weeks after the siege began, when the gate finally gave way, that's when it had happened.   
  
"We've no time left!" Le Riand shouted at Marin. "Join the other women in the keep, I'll detail the baron's best guards to protect the place."   
  
"Sir, my skills are superior to yours, allow me join the fight!" Marin shouted back.   
  
"No, you will not! Join the children and the other women in the keep! Go, Marin!" And with that Le Riand rode off into the courtyard to give the last orders for the defense of the castle. Archers were situated in every commanding position possible and a number of them were already busy raining arrows into the horde gathered outside. But Marin and Regina both understood that once the barbarians entered the gate, it was only a matter of them before everyone would be gutted on a sword. If they were lucky, the women and children might be sold off as slaves. If. Regina had wept much at the sight of the soldiers slain, since many of them had been her friends. At least she could reveal to their souls who she really was before sending them on their way to Heaven.   
  
"Will we be safe here, Regina?" a child asked, clutching at her skirt.   
  
"Yes, we shall be, dearest," Regina replied softly, picking up the orphan and seating the girl on her knee. But then something else had caught her attention and she looked around. "Marin? Sister, where are you?" Receiving no answer, Regina called out mentally; Marin's aura flared for a moment in reply and Regina nearly dropped the girl in shock. "Let me out! My sister has gone to defend the gates!" The guards barred her way; Regina pushed them aside, apologizing as she did so, and hurried down the grand hall to the front of the courtyard.   
  
She made it there in record time and, peering out of the third story window, commanded an excellent view of the situation. The gate had been battered down at last and even then the barbarians were pouring into the castle in one great stream of humanity. Le Riand's men were struggling to hold the line and prevent them from reaching the archers, who still possessed considerable firepower. Then, as Regina watched in disbelief, an unarmored figure wielding a shining weapon dropped the twenty or so meters from the wall directly to the ground in front of the shattered gate. It was Marin, of course, wearing the uniform of Heaven's combat valkyries. She landed lightly and disappeared for a moment in the press, but only for a moment. With only a few slashes, Marin cleared the gate of attackers. Regina stared as, all by herself, Marin held the gate against an entire army, the Rainbow Swallow flashing with deadly precision everywhere. Even some of Le Riand's knights had stopped to observe the spectacle. Somehow Marin managed to prevent anyone from slipping past her while warding off enemy weapons and arrows, at the same time dispatching her opponents in droves.   
  
When half a hundred bodies had been piled up all around the gate, the others drew back and dared not advance further against the terrible warrior who defended the castle. Marin seized the opportunity to speak, magically projecting her voice so that anyone within a mile could listen. "Hear me! I am Marin, servant and retainer to the Baron Furinax. You have entered our lands and desecrated our homes, all without due cause. Leave now and I shall not harm you, as is within my power. Choose to stay, and I condemn your souls to hell."   
  
From somewhere in the barbarian ranks a giant of a man stepped forward, carrying a huge iron club. He must have been around eight feet tall and he led a charge on the gate, a score of men following his lead. Marin sighed; half a dozen strokes later, she had dismembered the giant and half the men while the others ran back to the comparative safety of the rank and file. The Rainbow Swallow could shear through iron as though it were cloth. When another attack emerged a little while later, Marin did not raise her weapon again. Instead, she passed the Rainbow Swallow to her left hand while clenching her right into a fist and raising it. "So you have chosen, so shall your fate be!"   
  
And that was when she showed everyone present a glimpse at her true power. Marin's boots left the ground and she floated a few inches off the stones. A set of ethereal black wings sprang from her back into existence, giving her the appearance of a sinister angel. Darkness erupted from her right hand and rapidly engulfed the surrounding area, expanding in a spherical shape at unheard of speed. Reality fell away; the castle disappeared, swallowed by the darkness, as did the mountainside, everything. Only the people were left; Le Riand, wearing a look of shock; the Baron Furinax, plainly afraid of Marin; the barbarian shamans howling in pure, unadulterated terror. Within the absolute darkness of the Void, only the people remained. Then the sphere of Void began to contract. The barbarian hordes erupted in screams as each man realized that he was being dragged by an inexorable force towards Marin's tightly clenched fist. The darkness drew in steadily, coalesced ... any moment now, they'd be sealed forever into the Void ...   
  
"Halt!" Regina flung her arms around Marin. "Please, spare them, sister!" she begged, tears in her eyes as she faced Marin on her knees, clutching at her older sister's hand. "They are not at fault! Soldiers but follow the orders given to them by their superiors! Would you condemn the innocent and the guilty alike?"   
  
Marin's implacable expression softened and she closed her eyes. "You are right," she said at last, opening her right hand. The darkness faded out, to be replaced by the setting that they were all familiar with; a castle still under siege. "Of course you are right. They will owe their souls to you, Regina." Marin looked up at the barbarian hordes, which immediately broke into loud wails and cries for mercy. "I have shown you a glimpse of my true power," she announced, projecting her voice again. "None here will interfere with your departure. Go in peace." They needed no second bidding.   
  
As the barbarians fled, Marin gradually became aware that the baron's own soldiers were staring at her in astonishment - and fear, in not a few faces. She lowered the Rainbow Swallow and said, sadly, more to herself than anyone else, "I feared it would come to this. Perhaps there was no help for it." Then she raised her voice a little as Furinax and Le Riand approached cautiously. "Now you know the truth, my lord. My sister and I are goddesses. We cannot remain here after what I have done; however, I wish to thank you for your hospitality and kindness. You have been very generous to us when we were but travelers upon the road. I am indebted to you, my lord."   
  
"Th - think n-nothing of i-it," Furinax stammered.   
  
Marin closed her eyes again and raised her hands high into the air. Right before the baron and his men, each last scrap of rubble raised itself up and with clockwork precision found its proper place in the castle structure. Amidst a veritable whirlwind of flying materials, the castle reassembled itself under Marin's power, the men shouting in disbelief. Marin lowered her hands and opened her eyes when it was finished. "I thank you," she said, a little sadly, holding her voice steady mainly by force of will. Regina realized that tears were close to her own eyes; leaving behind so many friends again. "I will lay a blessing upon this kingdom. Should you ever require my aid, call my name and I shall appear though the Heavens themselves separate us. Rule well, my lord."   
  
"Godspeed, my lord," Regina wished to Furinax and Le Riand.   
  
"Farewell, goddess," Furinax replied, saluting as Regina and Marin bowed and faded into nothingness. Regina cried as they reappeared somewhere else. Marin herself seemed affected as she gently wiped Regina's tears away. "Take heart, dear sister. You need but wait a trifle and you shall meet the souls of your friends in Heaven."_   
  
"I think," Regina said slowly as she finished her story, "that was the first time I'd ever seen Marin fight in a real war. I know she's been in others before I was born. My sister takes conflict gravely." She raised her eyes and swept her gaze around the hotel, speaking more to herself than to Gill's attentive ears. Marin could sometimes be cryptic, but Regina had never once remembered a time when her sister had been secretive as she seemed to be now. All of which, of course, raised even more questions in light of the recent disappearances. "Marin must have spirited these people to safety. I wonder ... I wonder if that's what she senses now ... more conflict about to break out ...?" 


	15. Match VII: Police Investigators vs Dadal...

**Match 1-7: Police Investigators vs. Dadallent**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Just a quick little chapter. Again, the tourney bracket has also received an update.

* * *

_ Beijing, China   
Two days have passed _   
  
The heat caused by the removal of an overhead cloud was the only change that disturbed Chun-Li's finely balanced tranquility. She sat on the stone ground, completely still. Normally at this time in the afternoon China's Gate of Heavenly Peace Square would be filled with all sorts of people: tourists, local Buddhists and Taoists, businessmen, and the ubiquitous Chinese citizen practicing Tai Ch'i. For today's special event, the square had been cleared and a portion of it marked off as a battleground. It was here that Chun-Li tried to make peace with herself before heading into the fight.   
  
Because, no matter what Ryu might say about "the fight being all" or "never give up, never lose," or "it is most important to learn from the fight," Chun-Li had never quite faced an opponent like the one she was scheduled to fight now. There was, of course, the whole Bison incident some dozen years ago when Bison had thrashed her to the brink of oblivion and then soared off laughing. But even Bison bled, as she herself, Charlie, and Guile had proved two years later. Dadallent she was less certain about. She slitted an eye open and studied him where he stood with his back turned to her some twenty meters away. By all the reports from Blake, Darrell, and Kenneth, he should've died that night during the mall firefight. No human could take those wounds and still survive without even a mark to show for it. Come to think of it, hadn't Urien met Dadallent before, too? The same Urien who had merely tested Chun-Li's skill after the third World Warrior tournament had also ran across the Chaos Prince. While the fight couldn't be labeled one-sided, by all reports Urien hadn't exactly last very long.   
  
Abruptly Chun-Li stood up and dusted off her dancer costume. There was no use delaying this fight any longer. Behind her, Mason was still flirting with Jill Valentine. Chun-Li strode to where her two teammates gossiped and gave them both a telling look. Mason and Jill nodded silently and said nothing as the two judges came up to them. "Police Investigators, name your tactical leader," Jedah commanded.   
  
"I am she." Chun-Li raised her bracelet-studded hand and nodded politely to the judges. They cleared out the battleground, Mason and Jill moving to the sides, the latter toying with her Beretta pistol and loading stun pellets into it. Dadallent, for his part, turned around and strode closer until he was only a few feet from Chun-Li. Despite her experience in the field, the former Interpol agent turned orphanage matron felt a definite wave of fear rise up within her as she met the pitiless expression of the Chaos Prince.   
  
"Who are you?" Chun-Li asked, fighting hard to keep her voice from trembling. "The air has frozen like ice ..."   
  
"You could tell? You have a discerning eye."   
  
Chun-Li drew herself into her fighting stance, a cat-style posture with hands held protectively in front of her chest, either leg ready to kick at a moment's notice. Something must have betrayed her, for Dadallent himself did nothing, only continuing to speak. "Relax, Chun-Li. I hope you fight freely, with all your heart. No one will die today." So saying, he slowly dropped into his own fighting posture, arms both hanging tightly off his sides, feet spread shoulder-width apart, the Psychisaber's hilt protruding above his left shoulder. He breathed deeply and Chun-Li could see his chest rise and fall. _So this is the dreaded Chaos Prince. I wonder how his other opponents felt when they fought him ...?_   
  
_Begin!_   
  
Chun-Li struck out blindly, dazed for a moment by the impossibly bright light overhead. She lashed out with a fierce punch, but cleaved only empty air. As her eyes readjusted, she saw that Dadallent was now to her left and adjusted her fighting stance accordingly. He aimed a knife-hand attack from the side, attacking with seemingly impossible speed. Chun-Li barely managed to block the attack and the impact felt like a sledgehammer being driven into her arms, both of which went numb. She tried to counter with a swift side kick, but Dadallent stuffed the attack with a kick to her upper thigh and then moved forward as Chun-Li tried to retreat. He stepped on her boot as she tried to hop back and Chun-Li lost her balance, flailing as she fell to the ground. _He's using really simple moves. I should, too. Forget the showy stuff, just stick to the fundamentals of battle._   
  
Unfortunately, Dadallent knew the basics of combat better. Chun-Li snapped a front kick that he blocked, at the same time cursing at herself for not keeping up in fighting form after the third World Warrior tournament. When Chun-Li fired out a burst of energy from her palm, Dadallent vaulted over the attack and flipped in midair, aiming a double-heel stomp at her forehead. Luckily for Chun-Li, Mason Storm came in at that moment and retaliated with an uppercut, lightning trailing down his arms as he soared upwards. The attacks met in midair and canceled each other out. Mason landed back on the ground with the imprint of a shoe in his mouth, while Dadallent righted himself in midair as electricity crackled around his body. Chun-Li seized the opportunity to a Ten Shou Kyaku skywards, hoping to catch Dadallent unready. But he merely vanished in a plume of smoke; right as Chun-Li reached the height of her jump, he dropped out of a clear sky and deftly caught her under the chin with a single hand, pulling her to the ground and landing her into the pavement.   
  
"And the Police Investigators are already feeling the heat!" Alia proclaimed. "Jin, Kyosuke, over the past eight years the Chaos Prince has fought thousands of opponents and never even once been beaten. Although he hasn't won every match, each of his battles only served to strengthen him and now it really shows. Eight years ago the Police Investigator team probably could've handled him; what's your analysis now, Kyosuke?"   
  
"Much as I hate to say this," Kyosuke replied, "Dadallent is a very formidable opponent whose killed list includes many big shots in the martial arts world. Mason Storm actually fought Dadallent sometime last year, along with the other tournament participants Kikoken and Edgar; all three of them were beaten, from what I hear. Granted, Mason's on a better team this time, but Dadallent is definitely bringing the fight home to Chun-Li. At the same time, it would be hard to rule the Police Investigators out already when the fight can go either way. They have to rely on their energy-based attacks, since Dadallent can shrug off enough physical damage to sink a battleship and still keep on fighting like nothing ever happened. Alia, do we know anything about who Dadallent is?"   
  
"Unfortunately, Kyosuke, we don't. Delta Red and the IDC both ran detailed background checks before the tournament, but no one has turned up anything that would suggest a clue to his identity. We do know that he appeared quite suddenly on the scene eight years ago and began killing opponents in deathmatches." Alia glanced back at the battle. "Wait, hold up a minute - yes, Chun-Li got in an attack!" As they watched, Chun-Li struck Dadallent's right knee with a light kick and immediately canceled the attack into a powerful back roundhouse kick, knocking the shrouded warrior into the air. Chun-Li followed on her advantage a moment later, jumping up after him with a succession of attacks: light punch, quick kick, elbow strike to the chin, stomp on the thigh, a pair of quick high thrust kicks in succession to Dadallent's chin, followed by her signature Lightning Leg kick - in midair. Chun-Li's legs blurred into a formless shape of light and the crews caught the sound of her boots impacting solidly on Dadallent's flesh. She finished with a twisting motion that put the whole force of her body into a kick; Dadallent went flying through the air, only to be intercepted by another Thunder Uppercut from Mason along the way.   
  
"Seventeen-hit aerial rave!" Jin screamed excitedly into the microphone, nearly deafening Kyosuke.   
  
Dadallent hit the ground, but softly, pulling his hand and his arm with it into a roll at the last moment and so avoiding the impact of a hard landing. Chun-Li had rushed closer, doubtlessly intending to attack while her momentum was still good, but fell to a surprise reprisal when Dadallent rolled along the ground towards her and jumped up, attacking fiercely. Chun-Li blocked a fast and powerful strike, at the same time wincing as Dadallent struck her knee with a side kick. Inwardly her mind screamed. _That is impossible! Any normal man would be on the brink of unconsciousness by now, but he didn't even blink! And he's still attacking so quickly that I can barely see the attacks themselves ..._ Abruptly her train of thinking was cut off as Dadallent caught her wrist and pulled her forward, thus leaving her off balance. In a moment he'd spun around and reached for his sword, pulling it and its sheath off his back. He solidly rapped the side of her head with the sheathed blade, then his arm shot out across Chun-Li's shoulders and the Chinese girl was being rotated off balance again. Dadallent stepped forward, but his right foot did not touch the ground immediately. Instead, he flung it back and knocked out the leg that Chun-Li's weight hung upon, bringing her to the ground with a crash.   
  
Mason Storm tried to interrupt the attack with a Renosan Kick and bought Chun-Li only temporary respite. Dadallent was forced to abandon his offensive, but he vaulted over Mason's head and in a moment was dropping back upside-down. He threw his weapon down and caught Mason by both shoulders, then dropped his weight to the ground, using his extra leverage to pull the FBI agent after him and flinging him across the square. The sheathed Psychisaber, having been thrown earlier, hit Chun-Li solidly in the stomach and drove the breath out of her. A moment later it was too late to do anything; having dealt with Mason, Dadallent took a half step backward and pulled his hand in a slicing motion across Chun-Li's throat, striking a very specific nerve as he did so. The former Interpol agent crumpled to the stones, motionless.   
  
"Mason, you're in!" Jill called frantically.   
  
Shaking his head clear, Mason Storm leapt into the square as the medical teams bore Chun-Li off. They were one down already. Instead of gradually building up an attack the way he normally would, Mason went right ahead into a super technique. He'd fought Dadallent before and he knew the Chaos Prince a little. _Normally I'd try to secure a number of advantages while wearing him down and then take the fight home, but he's too skilled for that and I'd never win a war of attrition anyways. Best do what I can first!_ So thinking, Mason rushed his opponent. Dadallent punched him solidly across the jaw but the attack came through anyways as Mason's arms and legs disappeared in a blur of motion, laying a total beating on the Chaos Prince. Dadallent and Mason vanished in a haze of dust and blood. Mason completed his Requiem for the Doomed attack with a powerful uppercut that had all of his strength channeled into it. Dadallent went flying as if shot from a cannon ...   
  
... and righted himself in midair, landing softly back on the grounds of the square. Mason stared for a moment; Dadallent was a terrible sight, bleeding from half a dozen wounds and his outfit torn in various places. "Well, at least he bleeds," Kyosuke observed. "But Dadallent still looks completely unfazed. I'm beginning to wonder if he's even human or not. Wait, there he goes in a puff of smoke ... and he reappeared behind Mason! Incredible!" Dadallent struck hard and fast; Mason blocked a chest-level kick and it felt like trying to defend against a runaway train, the attack was so vicious. A moment later Dadallent launched the Hell Cutter, seizing Mason and driving a double-armed attack at the chest. Mason also blocked this technique but guard crushed and then it was goodnight as Dadallent laid into him with a brutal combination of strikes. "Nine-hit ground combo ending with a Blazing Wave!" Kyosuke announced grandly.   
  
To the side, Mason saw stars and spat out a mouthful of blood. For him, this battle was rapidly becoming a repeat of his encounter with the Chaos Prince a year ago, an encounter that had left him hospitalized for a month. Shakily he stood up and abruptly remembered that he had a teammate. Mason signaled Jill to enter the battle and he himself staggered off the sidelines.   
  
Jill jumped in, assuming a defensive position. "She's in a bad position and she knows it," Kyosuke commented. "Mason's vitality isn't all that good right now. He could still throw striker assists, but one lucky hit by Dadallent and it's lights out for him. At the same time, Jill probably realizes that she can't defeat him by herself. She and Mason have to gradually wear him down, although it's much easier said than done." Jill pulled out a small grenade launcher and sent an explosive arcing towards Dadallent, but the Chaos Prince reacted almost before the move had come out; he vanished in a haze of smoke and dropped down from above, landing both heels into the base of Jill's spine and sending her sprawling into the ground. Jill snarled and reached for her Beretta; it flashed into her hand and she unloaded a whole chamber of stun pellets at Dadallent.   
  
So her mouth nearly dropped open in amazement as he pulled the Psychisaber out and expertly deflected each one with impossible speed. Then he dropped to one knee and sank his right fist into the ground, hard. The earth trembled slightly; a column of fire sprang out of his fist and came jumping towards Jill. The S.T.A.R.S. agent dodged to the side and it slid past harmlessly. Perhaps another tactic would work better? She pulled out the grenade launcher again, only that this time she didn't fire a grenade. As predicted, the Chaos Prince again vanished in smoke, but this time he reappeared directly in front of her. Reflexes honed by years of training, Jill struck out and heard a satisfying crunch as her fist found his stomach. Dadallent winced slightly; in a moment, Jill had knocked him into the air and followed with an aerial rave attack, pulling ever closer to Dadallent after each strike. Then, hyper canceling her final strike, Jill felt her entire body burst into living flame. "You're finished!"   
  
She flew forward as though propelled by rockets, her entire body engulfed in vivid crimson fire and colliding headlong into Dadallent. The Chaos Prince grunted and gasped for an instant as the fire seared through his clothing and into his flesh. The attack only lasted for a few moments and Jill landed lightly on the ground; Dadallent, for his part, also landed safely, but now he was breathing heavily and clutching his left side with his right hand, bent over with what Jill hoped was pain. So he wasn't invincible. She went for another Elbow Tackle and made her last mistake. Dadallent blocked the attack, causing Jill to skid to a halt practically in front of him. A moment later, he seized her shoulder and waist and jumped, bringing both of them off the ground in a spinning ascent. At the height of his jump he turned around and pulled Jill upside-down so that they both went rushing back to the ground headfirst. Jill tried desperately to escape, but Dadallent's grip was completely locking her arms and the incredible spinning kept her disoriented. She wasn't even aware of the ground until right before impact and then it was too late. Dadallent landed her on her neck, rolling away at the last moment and leaving Jill to take all the damage from both of their landings. Jill slumped on the ground, all the fight knocked out of her.   
  
Mason walked back into the battlefield as medical teams carried Jill off. He was hurt, but at one glance he could tell that so was Dadallent. The Chaos Prince might be able to resist physical attacks; still, enough hits and even he started feeling them. Mason studied his dangerous opponent before suddenly rushing forward. Dadallent met the attack head-on; Mason dodged at the last moment, throwing out a fierce spinning back kick. Dadallent ran past him and seized his arm above the elbow while doing so, pulling Mason out of the attack and off balance. He suddenly vanished into nothingness again and the end began.   
  
Dadallent reappeared in front of Mason and drove in a merciless punch at Mason's chest. It was a blow that would have felled an oak tree and it nearly destroyed Mason's rib cage. He vanished the moment that the attack landed, reappearing from behind and kicking Mason's knees. Again the teleport, again another attack, this time a diving punch from above. They came so fast that Mason had no chance to defend, each strike leading into the other. After a brief but vicious barrage, Dadallent reappeared in front of Mason again and knocked him into the air with a tightly controlled uppercut. The assault continued in the air, Dadallent finally ending the attack with his Soul Crush, driving Mason back to the ground exactly as he had done to Jill. Mason hit the pavement hard; his last conscious thought was _At least I won't have ... to spend another month ... in the hospital ..._   
  
"And Dadallent has taken the victory!" Jin screamed.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
One day has passed _   
  
"I don't believe in meddling with the affairs of others," Guy began. "I think that people should be free to act and live as they wish. I know that I am quite secretive myself, so I can respect that in another person. That is why I have rarely, if ever, questioned your actions aloud. However, there is just one thing I would like to know. Cody, _what the hell did you do this time?_"   
  
Cody sighed long and loud. "Look, Guy ... I know you're disappointed -"   
  
"You bet," Guy snarled.   
  
"But I think you just have to accept that this is who I am," Cody continued, holding up his wrists to show Guy that they were handcuffed. The two friends sat alone in a soundproof detention center facing each other across a small table. Cody was clothed in the standard prison garb, complete with stripes and a number. "I picked a fight with this one guy and next thing you know I was jumped by a dozen different men. And that's how I ended up here. The captain says he expects my trial to be short, sweet, and to the point, especially since they want to deport me to America. I'm looking at five years minimum here, Guy. Can't you do some of those ninja tricks and get me out?"   
  
"No," Guy answered. "You said you picked the fight. End of discussion. I'm afraid you'll have to serve your time, Cody. I'm not about to spirit you out of here; I wouldn't do it for myself if I were in your shoes, buddy."   
  
"What kind of a friend are you?" Cody half-shouted as Guy rose.   
  
Guy looked back. "I wouldn't be a friend if I got you out of your own mess. I'm afraid you'll have to live with the consequences of what you did. You know my hotel number and Maki's, too. Give me a call if you need anything; if we leave, we'll let you know. Goodbye, Cody." Guy closed the door softly behind himself and sighed. _You'd think that Cody would've learned his lesson the first time,_ he thought to himself. The police captain was standing outside, arms crossed and unsmiling. Guy nodded to him and was about to walk past, but then thought of something else. "Do you have a spare telephone I could use?"   
  
"The receptionist will let you use the phone."   
  
Guy did as he was told and the friendly receptionist handed him a telephone. As he pressed the first number, someone else softly opened the doors to the office. Guy frowned. "Regina? What are you doing here?" he asked.   
  
"I heard about Cody," she said softly. "I came to visit him. See? I brought this with me." She held up a medium-sized box tied with a thin red ribbon, no doubt chocolates for the unlucky inmate. Guy nodded and said thank you; Regina replied courteously and went down the hall towards the detention center without asking for directions. She was dressed finely and Guy finished dialing the number on the telephone; accounting for time zone differences, it should be early morning on the other side of the globe. Maki had heard about the incident earlier and declined to visit Cody.   
  
"Hello?" a feminine voice on the other side asked.   
  
"Hi, Jessica, this is Guy, is your father -"   
  
"Oh, Guy!" The voice on the other side was animated, excited, and more than a little disturbed. Guy's mind instantly formed a mental image of a frantic Jessica. Normally he would've been amused by this, but there was bad news to break. "I'm so glad you called!" Jessica continued. "Dad's been missing for days! He said that he'd take me out to dinner and that was three days ago! I haven't heard a word from him since! I think - I think - he might've been kidnapped!"   
  
"What?" Guy half-shouted, not quite believing what he was hearing. "Okay, slow down, Jessica. What exactly happened to Haggar?"   
  
"I don't know!" Jessica cried frantically. "He just disappeared! Dad was witnessing for a trial here and he was supposed to take me out to dinner that night. The trial closed three days ago; it was a not guilty verdict. Dad phoned in from the courtroom at two in the afternoon to say that he'd take me out to dinner at six o' clock and to be ready half an hour before. That was the last I heard of him. He still hasn't shown up! I notified the police, b-but ... they haven't found anything. It's like he vanished off the face of the earth! Guy, I don't know what to do!" On the other side of the line, Jessica Haggar burst into tears.   
  
"I'm catching the next flight that goes to Metro City," Guy said instantly. "Listen. Just to be safe, make sure that you have a police escort at all times until I get there. I'll phone in again when I know when I'll arrive. Maki might be coming with me, but she might not. Oh, and Jessica. Cody's in the slammer again. He won't be coming back any time soon."   
  
"Oh no!" Jessica gasped.   
  
"I gotta go now and make arrangements. If you need me, you can call Maki's room number and she'll contact me. You still have it?"   
  
"Yes."   
  
"Good." Guy hit the hangup button and then dialed again. Whoever it was on the opposite line picked up the phone on the first ring and greeted him cheerfully, informing him that he had just reached the Cherry Court hotel in Osaka, and how could she help him? "Patch me through to room 754, for Dr. Ernest McGrath. And if he asks, tell him that it's an emergency." There was a few seconds pause and then the call went through. "Dr. McGrath? This is Guy, there's been an emergency -"   
  
"This is Samantha," came the reply. Was it Guy's imagination, or did she sound tense? "My husband is not present at the moment. Shall I take a message for him?"   
  
"Might as well. Listen, there's been an emergency back at Metro City. Ex-mayor Mike Haggar has gone missing and no one has seen him for the past three days. I'm catching the first available flight back to Metro City. I don't want to burden him with this, but I figure McGrath knows better than anyone how to deal with the situation. Let him know, alright?"   
  
"I shall do so." There was a brief pause, and then Samantha continued. "Haggar has not been seen for three days and counting?"   
  
"So I'm told. His daughter said that the police department there saw no trace of the man."   
  
"How urgent is this situation?"   
  
"Very, I'd say, if for nothing else than the fact that Jessica is nearly hysteric. And Cody's been thrown in jail again, so he's not going back with me. Neither is Maki. I'm gonna go back alone and try to calm Jessica down. Hopefully, by the time I've returned Haggar will also have. If not ..." Guy made a slicing motion across his throat before realizing that Samantha could not see it. The receptionist squeaked in fright and Guy ignored her.   
  
"Listen, Guy," Samantha said, "I will arrange for a transport helicopter to take you to Tokyo. From there, a fighter jet will bring you to Metro City. You may find yourself somewhat jet-lagged, but it will reduce a thirteen hour flight to a mere four or five. Would that be convenient for you?"   
  
"Yes, yes indeed! Can you do that?"   
  
"Easily."   
  
"Thank you. Well, until we meet again, goodbye."   
  
"Farewell."   
  
Guy exhaled deeply and set the phone down. He'd have to break the news to Cody, of course, and then get back to the hotel and talk to Maki in person. What a mess. Just then Regina reappeared from the back and Guy called to her. "Regina! Look, there's been an emergency. I have to go talk to Cody and then I'm out of the country. Would you let everyone else know where I've gone?"   
  
She tilted her head and looked at him intently for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I'll do that. And Guy ... good luck finding the mayor." As Guy vanished into the back of the police station, Regina sighed in sympathy. "Poor man, to have so many troubles suddenly weighing on his heart. Isn't there anything I can do for him?"   
  
Two hours went by quickly as Samantha informed McGrath and Regina informed Maki. From there, gossip ensured that the news would spread like wildfire. It was currently nighttime, right after another delicious dinner prepared by Regina, and McGrath was not pleased. At all. He was seated at the table in his room poring over the trove of information that the IDC had so far gathered. All of which pointed to exactly one conclusion: nothing. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. During practice two hours earlier he'd been distracted to the point where Ryu had very nearly nailed him with an explosive Denjin Hadouken. And now the news that Haggar had vanished into thin air, too ... "This tournament is falling apart," McGrath muttered.   
  
Beside him, Samantha picked out a photograph of the jewelry shop. "You look so tired, dear. This matter weighs heavily on your mind, does it not?"   
  
"Of course," McGrath sighed. "I've finally been able to pick out a pattern to these disappearances, but I don't know what the pattern tells us." When Samantha pulled a blank look, McGrath explained. "Okay, let's refer back to the time line that I drew up here. The Darkstalkers went missing first, a day after losing a match to the Neo Commandos. We still haven't found anything and the political upheaval going on in Makai right now is nothing short of disastrous. Four days later, Ibuki and Karin Kanzuki also disappear, supposedly in the jewelry shop, and this event really gets the investigation going. I've been pressing Lloyd for a week now and I'm sure he's told me everything that he remembers, down to the individual prices on each piece of jewelry. Next, Rose has to go back to Genoa and that's the last anyone hears of her, though we don't actually realize that she's missing for quite some time. Five days after Karin and Ibuki vanish, Yun and Yang are called back to the village and Yin goes after them.   
  
"When I was down in the village, I spoke with the townsmen there. They all agree that Yun and Yang did not appear there - in fact, they were quite surprised to be told that the village elders had called the twins back. So Blake ran a check on the airport logs. Turns out that Yun and Yang boarded the flight out of Tokyo but never picked up their luggage, which the airline sent to Yin. Yin arrived safely, but only for a day and then she too vanished.   
  
"Go Hibiki vanished about ten days after Yun and Yang left for China; we all know what happened to him, he was killed by Dadallent. Juni went away four days ago and I just asked Cammy to call her; apparently she's still fine. Cammy and Juni have set up a schedule where Juni will call Cammy every day at noon to confirm that she is still present. This brings us to the present. Three days ago, ex-mayor Mike Haggar also disappeared while back in Metro City. Now, there's a definite pattern to all of this and I ought to shoot myself for not seeing it earlier." McGrath picked up a photograph and gazed at it. "Do you understand, Samantha? Each team that loses the tournament is slowly picked off. It began with the Darkstalkers. Karin and Ibuki went missing because they were special guests asked to come here as honorary attendees. Whoever is kidnapping our people is making sure that he or she doesn't sabotage the tournament itself. However ... I hate to say this, but ... I give Juni a week at most before those calls suddenly stop coming."   
  
"Have you deduced the agent behind these disappearances?" Samantha asked.   
  
"Unfortunately," McGrath answered, "that is one of the many pieces of the puzzle we're missing. Initially, I'd suspect Dadallent - he does have a habit of seeking out enemies to kill in deathmatches, after all, and history shows that he's not picky about victims - but these disappearances are not his style. When Dadallent kills an opponent, he lets everyone else know." McGrath didn't need to elaborate further, as Samantha was very well acquainted with the Chaos Prince's patterns. It was always a body, with the Chinese letter for evil carved into its chest from blood and cruelly torn flesh. That was Dadallent's signature. "They found Go Hibiki's body a week ago, with the same imprint that Dadallent uses everywhere. So that's that. Nobody in law enforcement has seen so much as a glance at Dadallent before yesterday's match. I'm sure it's not Dadallent. It's not Shadowlaw, either; Shadowlaw prefers assassinations rather than kidnappings and it has never done so many kidnappings in such a short time anyway. Nor is it the Illuminati; Regina asked Gill and he said that it wasn't, and we know that Gill wouldn't dare lie to Regina. And of course, it's not the IDC for obvious reasons."   
  
"Then who could it be?" Samantha inquired, with a slight premonition that she might already know.   
  
McGrath shook his head. "I'd rather not say it now. I think I know, but ... it's just something based off a rather incomplete analysis of the information here. I need at least three more days to build my case." He sighed heavily. "It'll be safer for you if you genuinely don't know who I'm suspecting right now. That way no one can take the information from you. And really, I'm grasping at straws here. I hope with all my heart that I'm flat out wrong, because if I'm not, we could all disappear before this tournament has ended." 


	16. Match VIII: Masters Team vs the American...

**Match 1-8: Masters Team vs. the American Vigilantes**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I apologize for missing yesterday's update. This chapter was a rather difficult one, trying to balance two fights at the same time, until I finally threw in the towel and gave up. Please enjoy this half-hearted attempt to keep you interested in the story ... now, I need sleep ... yesh, sleep ... is ... good ...

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Three days have passed _   
  
It was nearly morning and the old temple situated outside Osaka was almost empty save for one solitary figure slowly walking through the gates. Overhead, the setting moon was full and brilliant, peeking through a moderate number of clouds and sharply framing the roof of the temple in soft light. The cobblestones crunched lightly under the feet of the visitor. It was quiet here; too quiet, with none of the night sounds that normally would have filled such a place. The old temple was very badly worn and would probably end up more so tonight. The figure halted in the courtyard, halfway between the entrance and the temple structure proper. _What am I doing here anyway?_ Shadow Kenneth wondered to himself.   
  
Ten years ... that's how long it'd been ... ten years since his real counterpart had unleashed him during a fight against Evil Ryu that had cost his life. He'd been miraculously resurrected but lay dormant until now, when granted a new life separate from that of his counterpart by ... by whom? He didn't know, nor did he care in all honesty. He'd been asked to meet someone here and Shadow Kenneth had developed a sinking feeling. _Stay calm. You're dangerous and you know it. Anyone who crosses you is a dead man._   
  
Slowly the temple doors slid open and a new figure emerged. He was difficult to see at first, but as he slowly stepped into a lit portion of the courtyard Shadow Kenneth could discern his features more fully. It was a fairly tall man, wearing a dark black uniform, red wristguards, and a nearly black headband. His eyes ... his eyes were not human, instead they shone completely red. His aura burned with a pulsing evil and Shadow Kenneth took an involuntary step backwards despite himself. _Ryu. Given a separate life, much like myself. And tonight, one of these lives will end._   
  
"How good of you to meet me here," Evil Ryu began, his voice deep and commanding. "Shadow Kenneth. I remember you. We fought once, long ago; have you improved any since then?"   
  
"There's only one way to find out, isn't there?" Shadow Kenneth replied quietly.   
  
"I was hoping you'd say that. It's just that we have a small problem. You see, last time I killed you without much of a hassle. Why should I believe that you would offer me any more of a challenge now?"   
  
Shadow Kenneth frowned, wondering if Evil Ryu's memory had somehow been altered. The fight had been anything but a minor hassle, with both of them nearly killing the other. Evil Ryu had Shun Goku Satsu'ed Shadow Kenneth at that time, but fortunately the real Kenneth's soul had survived the assault intact and thus saved both of them. He was about to reply when a motion at the edge of his vision caused his eyes to whip upwards, to the uppermost roof of the temple, and his eyes narrowed. "Ryu, we may have a bigger problem."   
  
"What?" Evil Ryu demanded, turning to look in the same direction that Shadow Kenneth faced. He stiffened considerably as they both saw him. Dadallent stood atop the roof of the temple, his back turned to the two below him and his sword sheathed. His arms were folded and he seemed to be contemplating the moon, but both fighters knew better than to trust to chance. Then he jumped, soaring high into the air before flipping back in a long, graceful arc and landing softly to Shadow Kenneth's right. He stood up and regarded the two fighters, both of whom had stepped backwards into defensive stances.   
  
"The night is old," Dadallent stated. "Let's begin."

* * *

_ Yalta, Ukraine   
Five hours have passed _   
  
"One thing I'll give our tournament host, she sure knows how to pick scenic locations for our fights." Scott Wagner surveyed the surrounding countryside with one hand shaded over his eyes. The Swallow's Nest Castle was a fortress situated high on a rock near Yalta, ringed by steep cliffs on three sides that fell sharply into the Black Sea below. The only approach was from a rather inhospitable path from the landward side, as the castle was built on the very outer edge of a peninsula. It featured round turrets and a number of crenelations, as well as imposing rock walls crowned by steeple-pointed towers. A scholar of medieval fortifications might have estimated the castle to be from the fifteenth century, well after the Crusades. The sun shone brightly overhead with no cloud cover to obscure any sight of the upcoming engagement. The battleground itself had been marked out as an elevated rooftop on the castle walls, where there was plenty of space to maneuver. The keep towered on one of the sides and the whole rooftop was ringed by stone battlements.   
  
"Real nice view, isn't it?" Sean Matsuda asked, coming up to stand alongside Scott Wagner.   
  
"You said it. This place is absolutely beautiful." Scott called over some of the camera crews who were busy setting up their equipment. "You guys have a spare camera by any chance? Could you take a photograph of us here?" Scott and Sean grinned as the cameraman snapped a picture of them, angling the view so as to take in the entire scene.   
  
"Okay, boys, playtime's over," Guile called. "We're just about ready to start here. Gather up!"   
  
Jedah Dohma and Gill met the contestants in the center, where Ken Masters was already throwing a number of experimental punches in the air. "Masters team, name your leader."   
  
"Me, of course. Who else?" Ken gave a confident thumbs-up.   
  
"American Vigilantes, name your leader," Jedah commanded.   
  
"Here." Charlie nodded smartly and stepped up to the center of the battleground as everyone else cleared a space for him. Ken was wearing a confident smirk as he and Charlie shook hands. "Ken, afterwards, I'll see you at the U.S. Martial Arts Open."   
  
"What, you looking for two helpings of ass-kick?" Ken asked.   
  
"Don't push it, boy," Charlie warned. He and Ken might've traded more words, but the bright light flashed all around them and blinded both contestants for a moment. _Begin._   
  
Charlie ducked a high kick aimed at his head. While he had never faced Ken before in a fight, he'd spoken with others earlier and gleaned information from Ryu, Guy, and Dr. McGrath. Ken Masters was known for his hellish offense, something Charlie understood very well as he fended out a light punch and nearly took a Shoryuken for his troubles. But if Ken was skilled, so was Charlie; Ken failed to recover quickly enough from the Shoryuken and Charlie landed a solid side kick in his sides. Ken went back to the ground with a grunt and a gasp. Both assists came out simultaneously; Sean Matsuda jumped in and tried for his high-angle kick, but was knocked cleanly out of the move by Scott's Rising Kick. Charlie nodded in approval; the young airman was really getting the hang of the Somersault technique.   
  
Ken took the opportunity to roll past Charlie and lash with a ground-hugging sweep. Whereas most opponents would have jumped over the attack, Charlie was wary of possible retaliation from Ken's deadly Shoryuken and instead blocked low. Ken then tried for a high ax kick, only that it took way too long to come out and Charlie stuffed it with a light sock to the face. Ken reeled back, but only for a moment; as Charlie advanced forward, Ken struck back with a flying kick aimed at Charlie's temples. The Air Force pilot blocked the attack but it left his arms numb. Ken then simply walked forward and pulled Charlie into a hip throw.   
  
"So far the fight is dead even, folks," Kyosuke said, pushing his glasses up his nose as he tried to analyze both combatants. "All other things being equal, however, I'd say that the advantage lies with the Vigilantes for two reasons: first, they have solid teamwork, and second, because their team members are much better than the ones who make up the Masters team. Alia, what do you think?"   
  
"I have to concur with the analysis, Kyosuke," Alia replied. "Like the Lords of Shadowlaw, the Masters team is really being held up by one person, Ken. Take him out of the picture and the team doesn't have much of a chance left. On the other hand, the American Vigilantes are a more well-rounded team and Charlie is quite a match for Ken. Back to you, Kyosuke."   
  
"Thanks, Alia." Kyosuke fiddled around with another screen. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is currently 9:06 here in Osaka, where the competition is already heating up. For those of you just joining us, today's event features the Master team facing off against the American Vigilantes. On the Masters team are Ken Masters, Sean Matsuda, and Kenneth Feng, fighting in that order. On the Vigilante side, Charlie, Scott Wagner, and Guile form the lineup. If we take a look at the action right n - urk!" Kyosuke was abruptly cut off as Jin reached across the table and seized his fellow commentator's shirt, pulling the one-time student out of his seat.   
  
"Did you see that?" Jin roared. "Seven hit aerial rave with a midair Moonsault finisher by Charlie!"   
  
"Erm, right," Kyosuke sputtered as Jin thrust him back into his own seat. "Anyway, ladies and gentlemen -"   
  
"Ken is switching out with Sean!" Jin screamed.   
  
"Okay, let's take a closer look at the action." Kyosuke redirected his attention the screens while the fight played out on the massive holoprojector set in Osaka Dome. Ken, still looking reasonably fresh, had tagged out with Sean and the poor Brazilian boy had taken a Somersault almost the moment that he came in. Even as Kyosuke watched, Charlie jumped over an abortive Sean Tackle and then dodged a desperate Dragon Smash. Charlie broke into a dash as Sean came out of the attack. With a wild yell, he began laying into Sean with a withering barrage of multiple punches and kicks, finishing the attack with a Sonic Boom thrown at point-blank range straight into Sean's face. The Brazilian boy sailed across the battlefield and skidded to a halt on the ground, colliding into a battlement right before a fall that would have taken him over the edge. "And Charlie has knocked Sean out!" Kyosuke raved. "Fastest K.O. yet!"   
  
Charlie tagged out with Scott Wagner as Kenneth Feng also jumped into the ring. The two friends faced each other for a moment before both of them began to circle warily. Scott tested Kenneth's defense for a moment with a swift kick, but Kenneth jumped back out of range. For the thousandth time Scott wished that he'd taken the time to learn how to execute a proper Sonic Boom, as he surely could have nailed Kenneth with one after the back hop. When Scott tried for another kick, Kenneth again jumped backwards. Scott failed to notice the way that Kenneth's back legs had bunched up, but Guile didn't and jumped in to assist. Kenneth lashed out with a swift Whipcrack Kick which would've caught Scott by surprise, only that he ran into Guile's Sonic Boom assist en route. Scott flipped a thumbs up to his teammate and dove in further on the offensive, rushing forward and tackling Kenneth around the waist. Scott then arced over Kenneth's head and brought his opponent to the ground headfirst. He would've continued the attack with a People's Elbow-type strike, only that Ken Masters also jumped in and threw a Shoryuken.   
  
The attack hit Scott cleanly, burning through his uniform and up his body. The shock of the Shoryuken caused Scott to fly a good meter through the air, instinctively using his magnetic ability to cushion his fall somewhat. Kenneth was on him in a flash and the two locked arms in a grapple contest. Guile, jumping in to help Scott, had his Sonic Boom canceled out by Ken's Hadouken. Then Kenneth kneed Scott in the stomach; a moment later, he had the airman in a Hazard Slash, raking his right hand up Scott's chest. He scored a mark in his opponent and blood began to seep through the uniform.   
  
Shaking his head clear, Scott quickly launched the Rising Kick, doing a fancy backflip that brought both of his boots into Kenneth's chin. Kenneth saw stars for a moment, but quickly shook his head clear. He then lunged forward with another Whipcrack Kick, but this one whiffed entirely as Scott tagged out and brought Guile into the battle. Guile eyed his foe sideways for a moment, then tried for a punch. Surprisingly, Kenneth did not hop away; instead, he parried the attack and pulled Guile closer, right into a textbook version of the circle throw. Guile landed on his back and jumped upright, grimacing to himself. _The boy must've seen McGrath use that trick once too often. I shouldn't have fallen for it._   
  
Kenneth kept out of Guile's reach, but he had already taken some damage and his reflexes were wearing thin. Guile began closing the distance patiently while Charlie and Ken contributed the occasional assist attack. When Guile had Kenneth's back to the keep, he blazed forward with fists flying, hoping for a swift knockout. After he landed the first attack, though, Kenneth Feng switched out with Ken Masters and Guile suddenly found himself facing a much tougher opponent. He tried to hit Ken with a powerful Flash Kick; unfortunately for him, Ken's Shoryuken came out at the exact same moment and outprioritized Guile's move, knocking the Air Force officer backwards.   
  
"Right now the Vigilantes have a strategic advantage," Kyosuke informed his viewers, "but if Guile wants to take on a reasonably fresh Ken, then he'll have to work overtime." Even as he said this, Guile landed a powerful kick into Ken's chest at the cost of a Hadouken launched point-blank into his face. Guile tumbled backwards while Charlie covered him for a moment. When he recovered, Guile threw another attack at Ken, launching a powerful Flash Kick. It never hit, as Kenneth Feng appeared and parried it harmlessly to the side. Ken took a brutal revenge, knocking Guile into the air and following with a series of attacks culminating in the Hurricane Kick; Guile landed hard into the castle grounds. "Eight-hit aerial rave!" Kyosuke pronounced grandly.   
  
Unfortunately, Ken must have allowed his attack to make him overconfident, as he dove in recklessly with more kicks at a beleaguered Guile. He paid for his brashness a moment later when Guile blocked a Shoryuken and drew his arms back, his aura gathering energy in his fists. In a moment he flung them forward with a wild yell of "Sonic ... Hurricane!" Ken dropped and managed to block the attack, but the Sonic Hurricane battered him from every side. Right as the attack ended, Guile switched out and Charlie jumped back into the fight. Ken grinned; pausing only to stretch his bruised arms, he jumped and tried to take Charlie down with a fancy aerial kick.   
  
Charlie also grinned, sidestepping the attack so closely that Ken's foot only brushed his cheek. As Ken came down, Charlie seized his opponent from behind and dropped him into a German suplex, landing Ken hard on the unforgiving castle ground. Ken gave a short yelp and rolled away while Charlie pulled himself upright. Intent on pressing his advantage, Charlie shoulder rolled forward along the ground while Ken tested his back for broken bones. Ken pulled his arms back; Charlie saw the motion as he came out of his roll and instantly jumped upright, intent on catching Ken midway through the attack. He flipped into a Somersault Shell and instantly paid for his mistake.   
  
Instead of launching a Hadouken, Ken faked the technique and grinned a tad wildly as Charlie came out of the Somersault, practically on top of his opponent. Ken sank his fist close to the ground and instantly erupted upwards in a powerful attack, spinning crazily. A small vacuum appeared around his body and suctioned in the hapless Charlie, unable to air-block the attack from below. Ken's fist burst into flames as it impacted hard against Charlie's skin. "Shinryu Ken!"   
  
Caught flat-footed, Charlie ate the entire attack and fell back to the ground, hard. Ken landed and crouched; the attack had left him spent, but at least he was now in better condition than his opponent. Breathing heavily, Charlie staggered upright and drew back into his fighting stance. Ken rushed in, eager for a kill. His opponent paused only to fend off an attack before switching out with a much fresher Scott Wagner. Ken shrugged; who was he to pass up a chance to kick butt? "Here I go -!" he exclaimed, crouching low after having just thrown a kick that Scott fended off, his fist bursting into fire. Ken's eyes narrowed and his face took on an expression of devilish glee, calculating where Scott's defense was weakest. In a moment he had his answer as Scott jumped back; intending to catch his prospective victim midway through a transition, Ken leapt forward into the first of his deadly uppercuts.   
  
"Shoryu Reppa!"   
  
Scott passed his hands in front of himself, crossing them in a semi-block. He was a good five meters away from Ken and very alarmed at the rate which Ken was eating up the distance. It would be a trivial matter to block the attack, but ... Ken was already breathing heavily and looked quite spent, so Scott took a major gamble, frantically summoning as much of his power as he could lay a hold of. In response, his entire body took on an eerily beautiful golden glow. "Magnetic ... Crucible!"   
  
Ken didn't even have time to swear at his abrupt change in fortune. As he dashed forward, he ran straight into Scott's trap and in a moment was surrounded by a blistering storm of iron fragments. Each one cut mercilessly through his skin, propelled by unseen forces. It was like being swept up in a tornado; Ken was knocked cleanly out of Shoryu Reppa attack as the iron fragments slashed through his body. The storm subsided after a moment, but it was enough. Bleeding from a thousand ghastly cuts, Ken Masters gazed up at Scott for a heartbeat before dropping to the castle ground, blood pouring out of his wounds. The medics came exceptionally fast.   
  
Left to himself, Kenneth Feng jumped in as Guile replaced Scott. "Well, ladies and gentlemen, the fight is definitely winding down now ..." Kyosuke began.   
  
"Because Wagner kicked Ken's ass!" Jin screamed into his microphone.   
  
Kyosuke winced, instinctively clapping both hands over his ears. "Erm, right, what Jin said. Both Charlie and Scott look sort of beaten, but the match is now down to a three against one exhibition. Any time now, Guile's going to end the fight. You see how, with Charlie's help, he's trying to corner Kenneth into a close-range fight. The two of them are using Sonic Booms to herd Kenneth against the battlefield boundaries. About all that Kenneth has going for him right now is his superior speed, but it's being pared down ... oh, wait, Guile got too eager and took a Whipcrack Kick for it. And Kenneth is out in the open again. Hey -"   
  
"He's taunting Guile!" Jin screamed. "Kenneth has taunted Guile!"   
  
Whatever Kenneth said, it must have made Guile furious as the air force pilot jumped up and tried to rush Kenneth, throwing caution to the winds. Guile's first attack was blocked, but his second kick came through by its sheer power and sent Kenneth sprawling. He followed up on his advantage with a merciless stomp into Kenneth's chest. Kenneth gasped; Guile lifted his boot for another stomp, but this time Kenneth was ready. He parried the attack and in a moment seized his advantage, while Guile was still trying to recover balance. Kenneth jumped up and seized Guile, catching his neck in a claw swipe. In a moment Guile was on the ground and Kenneth's arm descended in another swipe. His fingers, cruelly hooked, made contact with Guile's skin and cut through, tearing out a large strip of flesh. The attack prompted a scream of agony from Guile; it was a horrible sound and Guile writhed on the rooftop under Kenneth's Hazard Masher.   
  
But the first attack was as far as Kenneth got. Before his other arm could make an equally devastating swipe, he was suddenly sent flying as Charlie jumped in and launched a Somersault Shell point-blank into his face, fire in his eyes. Guile took the opportunity to tag out, still fazed and unsteady with pain. Charlie then continued his assault; when Kenneth blocked, Charlie pulled him closer and headbutted the college student, then flung his arms open and went straight into another Somersault Shell. Kenneth crumpled to the ground even as the attack landed. "And the American Vigilantes have defeated the Masters team!" Kyosuke announced. "Excellent show by both sides! Ladies and gentlemen, the first match set of the World Collision tournament is over. But hang on to your seats, this competition hasn't ended yet and the best is still to come!"

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Three hours have passed _   
  
"... Anything, anything at all. I don't care how unimportant it might seem, please, is there anything else you can tell me?" Ernest McGrath faced Sakura Kasugano and Darrell Markis, pleading for more details. The three of them were seated in the dining room of the hotel, McGrath having brought a pencil and notepad. "Was there anything at all that seemed out of place to you, Sakura?"   
  
"Sakura baby?" Darrell prompted.   
  
Sakura shook her head slowly. They'd been at this for an hour, McGrath grilling Sakura for details on what she had seen at the jewelry shop. "I've told you everything that I can remember! There's only one other detail that I haven't mentioned. When I went out, Lloyd opened the door for me. I caught a piece of paper and there were some words written on it, but I can't remember exactly what they were. Roman characters, but in a language that I don't read. That's about it."   
  
"Really? I wish you'd brought this up sooner." McGrath twirled his pencil. "Were the words written in pencil or pen?"   
  
"Inked, come to think of it, they were written in that same golden ink that was on our invitation cards." Sakura frowned as little by little she dredged up what scant memory she had of the scrap. "And ... I think it was the same type of calligraphy, though I can't be certain. I only had a glance at it before I threw it away."   
  
"You threw it -! Argh! Can you at least recall the words?"   
  
Sakura's frown deepened. "Let me write it down for you." She took the pencil, thought for a few seconds, then hesitantly jotted down a single word. "That's all I remember. I can't remember how many words there were, but this one was the first - I think. I can't even remember if this is the whole word." She handed the pad back to McGrath, who studied the paper. _Fin. Short for find, perhaps?_   
  
"Hmm ..." McGrath shook his head. "Try as hard as you can to remember, Sakura. Is there anything else at all that you noticed on that day?"   
  
"Sorry."   
  
"It's alright." They shook hands across the table and Sakura stood up. McGrath rose also. "If you recall anything, be sure to let me know, here's my personal communicator in case you can't reach me in my room." He wrote down the code and gave it to her. "Go on ahead, I'd like to speak with Darrell for a few moments if you don't mind." Sakura didn't, so she left the dining room alone as McGrath seated himself and turned to look at Darrell. "Yesterday, Jill Valentine left for Raccoon City. I heard that you and Mitsukake are also considering packing up and leaving. Is there any way that I can talk you out of this idea?"   
  
"Look, doctor," Darrell replied, "I know all about your suspicions. But honestly, Sakura and Mitsukake and I all took a lot of time off work to be able to come here. I know that other people have - Jill, Commando, and Ken, to name a few - and we really need to get back. I'm hoping that you're wrong. This is my idea, really."   
  
"I see. Then, take this." McGrath picked up a piece of paper and peeled a sticker off of it. It was nearly transparent and he offered it to Darrell. "Stick this onto your skin. Once set, it can only be taken off by a solution of equal parts alcohol and ethyl. It's an IDC-made tracker and it sends a signal to a number of orbital satellites. As long as you're wearing it, we'll be able to keep track on you twenty-four hours a day. The tracker's waterproof and shock resistant. It's also totally passive, so nothing should be able to pick up on it. If anything happens, we'll know where to find you. Just don't go flame-happy; the transmitter won't survive being burnt."   
  
"I see. Thanks, I suppose." Darrell applied the sticker to the back of his left hand. "You also providing the others with this nifty device?"   
  
"Yes." McGrath rummaged around and found another one. "Give this to Mitsukake and tell him what it's for. Jill Valentine has one, too. Since Sakura's still staying around until the end of the tournament, I'll try to keep an eye on her while you're away." McGrath sighed. "None of this makes any sense. If I had my way, I'd try to sort out all the evidence tonight. There's a definite picture emerging, but ... my wife wants to spent the night at a fancy restaurant and I couldn't refuse her."   
  
"Oh, really?" Darrell asked. "You lettin' a woman dictate what you do? Why, it's totally different in my house. Sakura knows exactly what's expected of her; by the time I come home, the food better be on the table, and if it ain't, I slap her across the face. I know that she'll do the laundry and leave enough hot water for me when I need to shower. You gotta show your woman who's the boss, doc."   
  
"Darrell, listen to you!" McGrath responded, horrified by what he'd just heard. "When I come home after a hard day's work, I know that Samantha will have dinner ready, but not because she's afraid of me! She'll be waiting because she respects me! And if she hasn't finished with preparations, why, I wash my hands clean and go help her! Likewise she knows that if she comes back from a bloody battle that I'll be waiting with a towel, a bar of soap, and a fresh change of clothes. It's not about showing your wife who's the boss, not at all! It's a relationship built on mutual trust and respect!"   
  
"If you say so," Darrell replied doubtfully.   
  
"Trust me, man." McGrath stood up, gathering his materials. "But I could tell that you were just joking around with me, anyway. I'll give you a hint. You're planning to buy Sakura a farewell present, right?" When Darrell jumped as though he'd seen a ghost, McGrath had his answer. "That jewelry store where Karin and Ibuki disappeared may offer lower prices than any of its competitors in all of Japan, but try not to buy anything there. All they sell is zirconium." So saying, McGrath bundled his materials together and vanished through the door, heading for his room. Darrell's eyebrows arched; he hadn't realized that. At least he could get a refund for the necklace that he'd just purchased, right?   
  
A shadow fell over Darrell; he glanced up and nearly fell out of his seat, staring as Bison towered impressively over him. He gulped loudly, but Bison merely pulled a chair opposite Darrell and sat down heavily, producing a bottle of spirits and two small drinking cups. "Darrell, you've got to try this," Bison confided. "Hard-core alcohol. Better than the sake that's sold here. The latest shipment came in just yesterday and I've been dying to share it with someone." He tilted back his head and drained a glassful of the liquid, smacking his lips. His face was contorted as though he'd just bitten into a particularly sour lemon, giving Darrell the suspicion that he was perhaps a little drunk.   
  
"O-kay," Darrell answered warily. "What is it?"   
  
"Exploda."   
  
"Exploda?! Uh-oh." Darrell made a face. Bison poured him a glassful of the liquid and Darrell took it, attempting to down it in a single gulp the way that Kenneth Feng did. The moment it hit the back of his throat, though, his muscles swiftly rebelled and Darrell ended up spraying the contents of his glass all over Bison's uniform. "Whoa, that's strong!" Darrell exclaimed, wiping tears out of his eyes as Bison brushed his uniform clean. He declined when Bison offered to pour him another glass.   
  
"Y'know," Bison commented after a moment, "life can throw any number of curveballs at you. I never thought I'd end up like this, back when I was a boy. You know what my father was? He was a lumberjack somewhere in the United States. Wanted me to be schooled properly, though. I was a good student back in high school, made straight A's, went to Yale on a full scholarship. I think I was in the same class as someone else who later became President; can't remember his name for the life of me. Anyway, I studied civics at the college. Also joined a fraternity and I used to party with the boys. That's where I met the man who'd teach me all about Psycho Power."   
  
Bison's eyes shone red for a moment as he continued. "Psycho Power! Now here was something that defied all attempts to explain it scientifically. And yet ... it was raw power, I couldn't deny it. So I learned as much about Psycho Power as I could from the man. He took on two more students after training me, but ... well, as you can imagine, I'm not a person who appreciates competition." Bison poured himself another glass of Exploda. "So, to make a short story even shorter, I killed my master and my two fellow students. If you know anything about Psycho Power, you'll know that the more evil a person, the stronger that power manifests itself. So, to increase my power, I expelled the good side of my soul. Don't try this at home, Darrell, since the operation nearly killed me and I had to spend a month recovering."   
  
Bison stared at his glass of Exploda without drinking it. "Ironic, isn't it? I could've been Professor Bison, a respected authority on civics, if I'd continued with my studies. Instead, here I am ready to conquer the world. And believe me, I will one day." He knocked back his glass and Darrell by this point had become convinced that Bison was thoroughly drunk. "I'll start by kidnapping those two girls, Kikoken and Chan. The Lian! Who'd ever thought that they actually existed?"   
  
"Wha -? Wait, Bison, you mean that you're behind all these disappearances?" Darrell cried, feeling his right hand burst into flames under the table.   
  
"Who, me? No, I didn't have anything to do with any of that." Bison shrugged. "Where was I? Oh, yes, the two girls. I suppose you're familiar with the problem of harnessing the Psycho Drive? It runs on electricity, but it needs a strong life form to draw in energies from around the world. Most bodies used as such tend to last only for days, but the Lian, now they're different. A Lian draws on elemental powers, thus they have unlimited energies to expend. With those two girls in my hands, the Psycho Drive will have an infinite source of power to draw upon. And I will rule!" Bison laughed maniacally and Darrell drew back in disgust; his breath was awful.   
  
"What's this about kidnapping us?" a new voice interrupted. Bison swore and spun around, half-rising out of his chair. "Stay seated, Bison," Kikoken continued, playing casually with a bubble of water that floated above her open palm. Too casually. "You really think that you could take me, a Lian with, as you said, a limitless supply of power?"   
  
"Heh, I'll have you one day, girl," Bison retorted. "Really, I only need one of you two. But why not kill two songbirds with one stone? After I've drained you of your power, I'll let Vega deal with you. Chan's the stronger one, after all, so she'll be serving Psycho Drive duty. In fact, what's to prevent me from seizing you right now, eh? I think I'm more than a match for you, girl." Bison lurched upright; Darrell growled as his hands burst into flames.   
  
"You're drunk and even if you weren't you're rather slow-witted to begin with," Kikoken answered amiably. "Perhaps you could deal with me, but Darrell is looking rather annoyed right now. And, you'd also have to reckon with Chan over there." Bison turned to look; on Kikoken's opposite side, Chan waved merrily as a small wind began to whisper through the dining room.   
  
"Fine, I see your point." Bison wrapped himself up in his great cape. "But I will have you two by fair means or foul. Most likely foul, given Shadowlaw's history. Good day." He faded out and gave a mocking bow as he did so, leaving behind a half-full bottle of Exploda.   
  
"So, how was your time with Bison?" Kikoken asked conversationally as she and Chan both commandeered seats at Darrell's table.   
  
"Not bad, actually, if it weren't for this foul stuff that I drank." Darrell pointed to the bottle, then glanced down at his left hand and swore vividly. "I knew I was forgetting something. Remind me to ask Dr. McGrath for an extra transmitter tonight, since this one went up in flames."

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
One hour has passed _   
  
Brushing sweat off his forehead and breathing heavily, Shadow Kenneth gazed at the implacable opponent in front of him. He and Evil Ryu had been fighting for nearly half a day, but they'd both realized very quickly that Dadallent was simply testing them, holding much of his formidable strength back. He knew now - they both knew - that they couldn't defeat him and Shadow Kenneth was grimly aware that Dadallent knew it too. Beside him, an exhausted Evil Ryu crouched on the cobblestones. The sun was high overhead but the surrounding air was cool. Arms folded, Dadallent regarded both of the beaten fighters before shaking his head slowly. "Is that all ...? You disappoint me, both of you. Was it too much to expect you to have improved, even by a little, over a whole decade? What a waste of time."   
  
His arms dropped to his sides as he slowly covered the distance separating them. Then, without further words, he seized both of his opponents, one in each hand. His keen spiritual eyes saw each person for who he really was - only a shadow, a broken and pitiful reflection of his true self. _Shadows can mock life, but they will never be as strong as their true counterparts. They cannot be. It's sad, really. Perhaps you didn't choose this path in life, but it was chosen for you by your true counterpart. May you find peace and rest in the afterlife._ Dadallent sighed and asked, "Any last words?" When neither of the two responded, he tightened his grip. Tangible darkness seemed to flow out of his hands, completely obscuring the three of them from sight, and Dadallent went about his work swiftly ...   
  
_They will eventually find the bodies, with the word for "evil" written through the hearts,_ Dadallent thought as he stepped out of the temple grounds, closing the gate softly behind himself. 


	17. Life's Precious Moments

**Life's Precious Moments**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** More updates. Now that the first match set of the tournament is over, wouldn't it be appropriate to kick back and relax? The tournament bracket has also been updated to reflect the latest results.   
  
**DeNice:** I suppose I owe you an apology for not realizing how deeply you identified with your character. I didn't mean to portray Darrell in a negative light; I thought it was obvious from the following paragraph that McGrath knew Darrell was joking around with him. Otherwise why would he conclude that Darrell had bought a farewell present for Sakura? So consider this an explanation and a formal apology. (But next time you spot an OOC moment, tell me before this sort of thing happens again.)

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
One day has passed _   
  
A steaming plate of fish wended its way to the veterans' table, brought by a smiling waitress. She set down the dish and the table occupants needed no second bidding, pausing only to let Sagat say grace. Then, with a gleeful cry of "Every man for himself!", Captain Commando led the charge upon the oversized platter. The veterans' table had thinned recently, but at the moment Commando, Sagat, M. Bison, Gen, McGrath, and Regina were the six present. Conspicuously absent were Demitri Maximoff, Mike Haggar, Rose and Gill, the last of whom was currently deep in a strategy meeting with high-ranking Illuminati officers. Gen's restaurant, close to the hotel, was rapidly becoming a focus of gossip and night life. The veterans were mostly cheerful and animated, with one exception.   
  
"What's eating you up, doctor?" Sagat asked, at the same time plopping a slice of fish down his mouth.   
  
"Real funny, Sagat. I'm worried about all these disappearances, that's what." McGrath twirled a fork and neatly carved a piece of fish with it.   
  
"You still think my sister has something to do with it, don't you?" Regina asked.   
  
"If I did, I would have tried to confront her about it already," McGrath answered flatly. "No, I simply don't know, and that's what worries me most of all. I'm not used to dancing with an opponent that I can't see. So far I haven't definitely ruled anyone out yet." He glanced up at Regina. "Regina ... is there a chance that I might be able to forfeit my next match and concentrate solely on the investigation?"   
  
She shrugged. "You'd have to ask Jedah or Gill, I've no authority in this matter."   
  
"You really think it's that important, huh?" Sagat asked.   
  
McGrath nodded firmly. "Yes. This reminds me more than anything else of the second World Warrior tournament; Bison gathered his enemies into one place, intending to destroy them. As we all know, that didn't exactly happen. Though I wonder why anyone would want to kidnap people like us?" He sighed deeply and stared at a slice of fish without eating it. "Regina, isn't there some way you could find out where these missing people had gone?"   
  
"I'm sorry, but I can't, not while my power is limited by a human body," Regina replied. "I wish I could help you, I really do, doctor. Wherever they are, even my senses can't find them, and they aren't in Heaven, I know that for certain. I've asked my sister, but she's silent on the subject. If Marin is the one doing this, however, I believe that she has only their safety in mind."   
  
"Really?" McGrath replied doubtfully.   
  
Regina nodded; on the other side of the table, Commando finished telling a joke and half the table erupted into laughter. McGrath abruptly stood up. "Pardon me, please. I have to get back to the investigation. Gen, it was an excellent meal." He nodded and walked away without another word while Regina sighed in sympathy.   
  
Ryu went through a bowl of noodles as McGrath left the restaurant, attempting to eat and speak with Ken at the same time. "What are you going to do, Ken, now that your team is out of the tournament?"   
  
"Dunno about Sean and Kenneth, but I'm sticking around." Ken glanced around the room, taking it in with a single glance. He was wearing the sweater that Regina had knitted for him and he turned to wink at Ryu. "Plenty of attractive ladies here, huh? I'm sure that at least one of them would be willing to go out with m-"   
  
Gouken cleared his throat.   
  
"With, uh ... Mel! Yeah, that's right," Ken finished lamely. "Hey, a father's got to look out for his son, right?"   
  
Ryu sighed sadly. "Ken ... ever since you married Eliza, you haven't kept up with your training, have you? It's sad, really ... you've been my best rival for the longest time. Now ..."   
  
"Sorry, Ryu old buddy, but the fight my life ain't. I have a family to feed and clothe, you know." Ken leaned back into his chair. "A studio's already signed up with me to make a movie about the World Collision tournament once this is all over. Fancy that, huh? I bet it'd make a great show - all the passion, the drama, the intensity of so many excellent fighters gathering under one roof. Blast it, I'm starting to sound like you, Ryu. I got to stop with this act." Ken laughed; after a moment, so did Ryu and Gouken.   
  
"I see ..." Ryu murmured.   
  
Gouken leaned over and whispered into Ryu's ears. "Don't be so disappointed, son. Even if you never meet another strong opponent, Ken is still your friend, isn't he? And you can always fight with me, even if I'm no longer in your league."   
  
"True that," Ryu replied doubtfully. Then, out loud, "By the way, did you two catch the news?"   
  
"About what?" Ken asked, a wafer of bread vanishing into his mouth.   
  
"They found two bodies this morning, killed by Dadallent," Ryu answered. "One of them was Kenneth with his Shadow technology awakened; I've fought the man before and it wasn't an easy fight. The other one ... was me, Ryu of Awakened Killing Intent."   
  
Gouken frowned and asked, "Just how dangerous is this Chaos Prince of yours, anyway?"   
  
"Very," Ryu answered gravely, no longer paying any attention to his food. "Ken and I once fought him, two on one. That was seven years ago and we both nearly lost our lives in the match. He only appeared a few years after your death, dad, but he casts a very long shadow in the fighters' world. He's killed many, many masters, people that I knew, fought, respected, sometimes learned from or studied under. You know how unbelievably skilled Dr. McGrath has become, right? And you've also heard of Gill, no doubt. Dadallent fought the two over a span of five years. Gill and McGrath are far above my level -"   
  
"Not mine," Ken interrupted gleefully.   
  
"- but ... both of them, I think, fear Dadallent," Ryu continued. "Or maybe fear him is the wrong way to say it. McGrath said that he fears what Dadallent is capable of becoming, and I don't know what he means by that."   
  
"So powerful that even Ernest fears him ...?" Gouken mused to himself.   
  
"So I hope that I get to meet him somewhere down the line during the tournament," Ryu finished. "It'll be interesting to see how much he's improved over the past seven years, when Ken and I last fought him. And safe, since the tournament rules forbid lethal attacks."   
  
"What a depressing subject," Ken muttered. "Why don't we talk about better things, eh? Here, give me a second." Ken stood up and went to the military table. As Ryu and Gouken watched, he drew Samantha McGrath out of her chair and escorted her to his table, pulling out a seat for her before sitting down himself. "Samantha, this is my former instructor, Gouken. Gouken, this is Samantha, wife of Ernest McGrath."   
  
"Yes, we've previously met," Gouken said.   
  
"Pleased to join you this evening," Samantha answered courteously. "I tell my husband to worry less since the IDC has dispatched a special task force to investigate the mysteries surrounding the tournament, but Ernest is forever troubling himself over such matters."   
  
"Well, I heard that Cody isn't doing so hot," Ken noted, trying to change the subject. "He's in jail on assault and battery charges. They're taking him back to Metro City in two days for trial. I say that he had it coming. Good show when you beat him up earlier, Samantha." To this Samantha said nothing in reply. After an uncomfortable silence, Ken ventured another tentative question. "Samantha, my memory isn't as good as it used to be, but ... didn't you and I attend Harvard together?"   
  
"Yes, we did," Samantha answered. "I remember you quite distinctly. You and I attended the same Health class, you as a fourth-year student and I in my first semester. Back then, you were already a well-known screen actor. You were surrounded by women. I wished to make your acquaintance, yet I was a virtually unknown girl in a public institution for the first time, whereas you were the famous and brilliant Ken Masters. If I recall correctly, you never did answer a letter that I wrote to you. You were madly in love with ... Eliza, I believe her name was, and you never spoke to or even looked at me."   
  
"Wha -?!" Ken demanded, not believing what he heard, while Gouken and Ryu had doubled up trying to suppress peals of laughter. "Now wait a minute here! You're telling me that you wrote me a letter, and that I neglected to answer someone as beautiful, intelligent, courageous, and desirable as you, Samantha?"   
  
Samantha smiled. "Thank you for the compliments, Ken, but my heart now belongs to another man."   
  
"Well, you can't blame me for trying, right?" Ken ran a hand through his hair. "I graduated that year. What about you?"   
  
"I ... I graduated a year early," Samantha said. "But I fled my home not more than a month after and I was a fugitive for nearly half a year. Perhaps you remember that time? The media devoured the news rather hungrily, if my memory serves."   
  
"Wait a minute!" Ken exclaimed. "You mean that _you_ were the same Samantha Trevors who prompted a nation-wide hunt when you disappeared from home? You were over the news for weeks, if not months! Heck, I think that I even volunteered to help look once. So you actually ran away ... what happened, huh? The police said that they thought you were kidnapped! Who was it? How'd it end? Was it the IDC that had you abducted?"   
  
"Ken ..." Gouken began warningly as he saw how Samantha had fallen completely silent.   
  
"It is a painful tale," Samantha said quietly, "and I do not wish to remember it tonight."   
  
At the military table, Blake Wallis nudged his fellow _Phantom_ and indicated Ken with a twist of his head. Lloyd was seated to his right and bent slightly closer to listen. "Psst, hey, Lloyd. If he makes a move on Samantha, should we tell the doctor or just beat the fool up ourselves?"   
  
"I wouldn't worry about the bloke, Blake," Lloyd answered. "Samantha is faithful enough to her husband."   
  
"Oh, I ain't worried about Samantha. It's that joker who wears the red uniform that I'm worried about." Blake leaned in closer, at the same time reaching into Lloyd's great overcoat and borrowing a Sparrow dagger that the British man had somehow slipped through security. "You know that sweater he's wearing? Regina herself made it for him; I heard it took her three full days. And now Ken has his sights set on Samantha ... come to think of it, didn't he make a pass at her before the tournament began? What do we do? Strangulation? Water torture? Shock therapy?"   
  
"Nothing," Lloyd replied. "Samantha can fend for herself. Cheers." He raised his glass and toasted the table.   
  
"You might tip off Gill that Ken has a romantic interest in Regina," Cammy suggested from Lloyd's right.   
  
Blake instantly brightened. "Hey, that isn't such a bad idea! I can't wait to see Ken's look when Gill drops a bunch of asteroids on his head. And then Gill will beat him up physically. Ooh, this is getting better by the second." Blake rubbed his hands gleefully, looking for all practical purposes like one of Satan's more mischievous henchmen. He tried to steal another weapon off Lloyd, running into the Lunar staff as he reached for an extra dagger. How in the world had Lloyd managed to sneak his _staff_ through security? Then Lloyd reached down and caught Blake's wrist, gently pushing it aside.   
  
"Blake, you know, there's a difference between prophylactic action and sadism," Cammy pointed out, rather disturbed by how pleased Blake seemed to be.   
  
"Not to me there ain't," Blake answered instantly. "Hey, Guile! Watch Ken for me, okay? If your brother-in-law makes any moves on Samantha, let me know. Ernest taught me his MAXIMUM Mayhem Rampage yesterday and I'm dying for a chance to try it out. But for now, lemme get his mind off her." Guile snorted at this obvious lie and rolled his eyes. Blake winked at him and at Scott Wagner, then stood up and strode to the karaoke platform located at the center and back of the restaurant. To his right, Cammy frowned but said nothing.   
  
Blake cleared his throat discreetly. "Ahem. May I have your attention please? Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, I'm Blake Wallis and I'll be singing again for you tonight. Let's hear the song requests, okay? As usual, the beautiful women get priority over everyone else." He jumped up as Maki whipped at his ankles with a steel flail borrowed from Lloyd, still grinning like the cat that caught the mouse. "Well, how about it?"   
  
"Ooh, sing 'Quietly Love Grew Strong' for us, Blake!" Chan called. She was resting her head on Hiryu's shoulder and otherwise looking quite contented with herself. The ninja strider had an arm around her waist and was holding a glass of wine in his other hand, his scarf pulled down low so that his entire face was exposed. They had a table to themselves, back in a shaded corner of the restaurant where the poor lighting made it difficult to look at them directly.   
  
"I said _beautiful_ women get priority, Chan," Blake shot back instantly, and he ducked gamely as Chan sent a razor-sharp slice of wind his way. "You want that one, eh?" Blake flipped through the albums, then frowned. "They don't have the soundtrack here, Chan. I need the music or else ... wait, never mind. All you, captain." Blake nodded in appreciation; from somewhere, Captain Commando produced an old-fashioned guitar and strummed the strings, humming a tune. He found a key that he liked and began to play the music.   
  
"His singing is awful," Sean complained in a low voice as Blake began to croon the words.   
  
"No kidding," Kenneth Feng answered, trying to muffle his ears in a discreet manner.   
  
From the military table, Charlie made a motion as if to propose throwing a rotten orange at Blake. This was vetoed by Juli and Guile, while Cammy picked idly at a roasted quail. Lloyd, who wore a cynical smile, twisted his body as Maki tried to steal a Sparrow dagger and caused it to prick her finger. The Bushin ninja yanked her hand back with an oath as Lloyd sipped from a cup of tea. Zeku shook an admonishing finger at Maki. Satisfied that his arsenal was intact, at least for the moment, Lloyd glanced to the side at Samantha. Even as he watched, she stood up and thanked the men at the table. Then she stepped through the press and gracefully wended her way back to the military side.   
  
"Now at last ... we can talk ... in another way ..." Blake sang. Or screeched, according to various opinions.   
  
"Such a beautiful song ..." Regina sighed, eyes glistening with unshed tears.   
  
Meanwhile, Chan's hopes had been completely dashed by Blake's awful rendering of the music. To be fair, Commando was an excellent guitar player, but Blake ... _His singing is awful. Exceptionally awful. It wasn't supposed to work like this, he was supposed to sing better! Yes, and once he got to the second chorus line, "Now at last, we can talk in another way," then I'd look up at Hiryu ... and fix my puppy eyes on him ... and he'd draw me closer. And then, right at the "I wanted just to be with you" line, we'd close our eyes and share a long, passionate kiss ... _   
  
"You have an excellent taste in music," Hiryu observed.   
  
That brought Chan up short. _I do? He thinks that I have an excellent taste in music? Ah, what's this warm feeling bubbling up in my heart ... maybe we'll get to kiss, after all. Hiryu, you're so wonderful ... even if you did jilt me earlier ... but that's not going to happen again, is it?_ On the other hand, one never knew with men. She needed ... guarantees, more than Hiryu's repeated but half-hearted assurances. Chan risked a glance at Regina. Perhaps the goddess could be persuaded to dabble in love potions?   
  
"I had so much I longed to ask you ... but now the chance is gone ..." Blake sang.   
  
"This is why we should never have allowed him to sing such a sappy song," Kirina growled, clapping both hands over her ears. She glanced around the table and dropped her voice lower. "Psst. Darrell, Kikoken, Sakura, Kenneth, Mitsu, let's try something after Blake finishes this current song ..." Quite secretly, she sketched out a simple plan of action that met with universal approval from all present at the table.   
  
Blake finished the sad romantic song and bowed as scattered applause, delivered mostly out of courtesy, came from various tables. "Thank you, thank you, ladies and gentlemen. For my next piece, does anybody have a song in mind ... 'Great Gathering of Virtue,' Juli? Okay, let's see ... yes, they have it! Here goes -"   
  
Kirina swore. "Blast it. We have to act now." Then, raising her voice, she called out, "Blake, you've monopolized the stage enough for a night, how about letting us have a turn, hmm?"   
  
Blake halted in mid-note, shrugged, and nodded. "Go ahead. My singing was starting to get on my nerves anyway. If you're taking requests, though -" Kirina made it clear that she wasn't, at least not from him. "Hmph. Ah, well, what gives? Hello, Lloyd, Samantha. Hope I didn't ruin our reputation with my melodious singing." He sat back and laughed.   
  
"Blake, have you heard that Cody is being deported to America in two days?" Maki asked.   
  
"Nope. What for?"   
  
"To stand trial on assault and battery charges, of course. They say that the evidence is strongest there."   
  
Blake frowned. "But the crime was committed here ... why would they send him back to Metro City ...?" _Unless ... unless it was a setup,_ he realized grimly. _They mean to frame him for any number of crimes, of course; Cody already has a criminal record in the States. As if the situation with Haggar wasn't enough already. Speaking of which ..._ "Any news from Guy?" Blake asked.   
  
"He arrived safely," Samantha offered.   
  
"Good. One less worry off our minds," Blake replied.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Three days have passed _   
  
"Excuse me, but would anyone here like to play a game of 'Fortune Special' with me?" Standing in the entrance to the lounge room, Regina held up a deck stacked with cards. She was wearing a plain brown skirt, a pair of sandals, a black blouse with a small brown vest over it, and looking as effortlessly beautiful as she always did. She seated herself on the Oriental rug in the center of the room and began to lay out the cards.   
  
"Fortune Special? What's that?" Ken asked as he plopped down.   
  
"Just a simple card game, the object being to get rid of all your cards." Regina leaned in as more people began to cluster around her. "The catch is, however, that whatever is written on the card _will_ come true, one way or the other; I'll see to that. But don't worry, it's mostly harmless, nothing like 'You are destined to destroy the world.' Well, who's in? Oh, so many people! Thank you!" She shuffled the deck thoroughly and placed it on the center of the rug. "You start, Ruby. Then we'll go clockwise, ending with me. Draw five cards; afterwards, you'll have one opportunity to exchange up to four cards for another draw. Your cards enable you to perform a variety of actions, usually on the person next to you. If you have any questions, be sure to ask me, since this game can become complicated. Ready? Let's deal."   
  
"I think that this is pure nonsense, but whatever, I'm in," Bison added, finding himself a space in the circle.   
  
Ruby Heart studied her hand and frowned. These cards ... they looked just like ordinary playing cards, but on the face side there were incredibly beautiful pictures meticulously drawn into each card. In fact, now that she looked closer, it seemed that the picture on the card gave off a 3D-like holographic impression. Then the picture under her hand actually moved and she whistled; magic, no doubt. The text at the bottom of the card seemed to swirl before coalescing into a readable text. These things would be worth a fortune on the market. She glanced at the inscription on the bottom of each card and decided to trade in four of the cards in her hand, drawing four more from the deck. Her last card, though ... she glanced at Kirina, who was on her immediate left, and smiled evilly.   
  
"Are you not joining us?" Regina asked.   
  
"No thanks," McGrath replied. He was sitting in a wooden chair and studying a scrap of paper, pencil in hand. "I have my own ways of keeping amused." He glanced around the room, smiling cynically to himself. Besides Regina and Ruby Heart, down the line there was Kirina with Kenneth Feng looking over her shoulder, Vega next to Kirina, then Scott Wagner, then Ryu, then Alex, then Chun-Li, then Mason Storm, then M. Bison, then Sakura with Darrell, then Ken, then Blake and finally back to Regina again. McGrath sighed and went back to his work; this particular proof was a killer. Lloyd, Hiryu, Maki, Sagat, Chan, and Charlie also contented themselves with watching.   
  
"Aw, come on, doc, you sure?" Blake called.   
  
"Maybe if I finish my work in time," McGrath answered.   
  
"Then let's start," Regina said. "Remember, each turn you may only play a single card unless there's an effect that overrides this rule."   
  
"Okay, here goes." Ruby Heart laid down her first card and read it aloud in a clear voice. "'Someone will call the next player 'Mama' very soon, forfeit her next turn to see to the child.'" She glanced up expectantly at Kirina as she finished, her one good eye almost daring the girl to call the gambit.   
  
Kirina giggled. "Let me get this straight, Regina; _anything_ that's on a card will come true?"   
  
"Why, yes," Regina answered sweetly. "And I'll add a special bonus for the winner. I will grant him or her a wish!"   
  
Kirina collapsed laughing and gradually most of the others joined her, including Ryu. "Oh, hee hee hee, that's just too good, Regina! Ha ha ha ... I know you're a goddess, but ... being a mother, this is ... hee hee hee ... a little ridiculous, don't you think ... ha ha ha -"   
  
"Nice joke, Regina," Blake added, elbowing Regina gently.   
  
"Like I said, pure nonsense," Bison sniffed.   
  
"Hee hee hee ... me, a mother at the tender age of fifteen ...? Ha ha ha ... honestly, Ruby ..." Kirina gasped out, trying hard to control her laughter, "... at least you could've put something ... hee hee ... that was ... believable, ha ha ha ... well, anyway, it's your turn, porcelain face," Kirina continued, slapping Vega on the back, "since somebody knocked mine off with a ridiculous prediction ... hee hee hee ... sorry, it's just too funny -"   
  
_"MAMA!"_   
  
Kirina's eyes exploded into the size of teacups. Bison's eyes bulged; even Ruby Heart seemed startled, while Ryu had turned as pale as a sheet. Blake Wallis gave off a low whistle of disbelief. In an instant, it seemed that everyone was looking for either the child or the most likely culprit. Kirina's eyes whipped around in every direction before seeing the person who had called her. "Risa, what're you doing here?"   
  
"Come and play with me, mama 'Rina!" Five-year-old Risa Shoukimenji climbed into Kirina's lap dragging a doll in one hand.   
  
"I promise you, I had nothing to do with this!" Kenneth Feng cried as Sagat, Ryu, and Charlie closed in on him in a menacing fashion.   
  
"Risa's a cute little girl that I met in Osaka," Kirina explained. "She usually calls me mama 'Rina."   
  
"Oh. And I was about to Shoryuken him all the way to the States ..." Ryu seemed singularly disappointed, but he and Sagat and Charlie pulled Kenneth upright. They'd been ready to lynch him a moment earlier. Charlie muttered something to Sagat and they both resumed watching.   
  
"Time for beauty to shine brightest," Vega declared, and he laid down his card looking quite pleased with himself, reading it for the benefit of all. "'The next player annoys others with his incessant muttering and must draw a card to appease his fellow players.' Eat it, Wagner!"   
  
Scott frowned, then threw down a card in response. "'As a herald for the good fortune about to come your way, you have reversed the effects of a previous card.' Your little trick is up, Vega."   
  
"Bah, it was worth a try ..." Vega muttered. "Well, get on with it."   
  
"No, you first have to draw a card," Regina interrupted. "Scott reversed the effect of the card, which means that what was intended for him has now been passed to you. It's a counter play and technically still your turn, Vega, so you'll have to draw a card and then let Scott play his hand."   
  
Vega grumbled to himself as he reached for a card. Scott looked through his hand and studied each card in turn, trying to decide what he wanted to do. At the same time, an errant flea jumped onto Vega's back and began hopping its way up. Then it bit him, right on his exposed neck. Vega felt the sting and rubbed the back of his neck, whereupon the flea took the opportunity to bite him on the hand. Annoyed, the Spaniard muttered an oath and twisted his head. At this point, the flea hopped into his hair and bit yet again. Vega clenched his teeth and made a quick swipe at his hair. The flea dodged the grab and dropped down to Vega's nose. His eyes widened as he saw what it was. "Get it off me - _owwwwww!_" Vega cried, as the flea sank its fangs into his vulnerable nose. He dropped to the ground, whimpering.   
  
"Hey, it came true after all!" Blake exclaimed.   
  
"Of course it did," Regina answered with a sweet smile.   
  
Scott Wagner laughed then. "Well, I'm really glad that it didn't happen to me. You alright there, Vega?" When a stream of invective came back, Scott took it as a negative response. "Man, blow up at me, why don't you? You started this mess." Still cursing, Vega abandoned his cards and stormed out of the lounge, Bison sneering as he did so. "What a wuss. Oh, well," Scott hummed to himself as he picked his card. "'The next person down is about to be scared very, very badly.' There you go, Ryu."   
  
"This I have to see," Ryu replied. "I've faced everything there is, nothing will scare me!"   
  
"Heh, I can't wait to see this one," Blake confided to Regina as he watched and waited.   
  
Ryu picked out a card and was about to play it when he jumped up as though fired from a cannon. "Aaaah!!! Get it off, get it off of me!" he screamed. He scrambled up a couch in the blink of an eye, staring at the place where he'd been seated but a moment ago. A large wolf spider was bunched up and Blake had to decide whether it or Ryu was the one looking more scared. Then the spider jumped a good half meter towards the exit and Ryu yelped, jerking instinctively before his wits could catch up with him.   
  
"Dad's afraid of spiders," Kirina confided to Kenneth.   
  
From the other side of the room, McGrath shook his head slowly. "What am I going to do with you, Ryu? You outweigh it by a couple thousand factors." He made a repelling motion, fingers unfurling as he launched an invisible projectile. It hit the spider, which went tumbling out of the room head over multiple legs. Ryu remained perched on the sofa for a full minute after the exit. McGrath muttered something to himself and returned to studying his problem, while Regina jumped up and ran out of the room for an instant to see if the spider had been hurt in any way. Pride injured, Ryu picked out his next card and laid it down with a vengeance. "'The next player will mop the room clean and forfeit his next turn. As compensation, he may discard a card from his hand.' There you go, Alex."   
  
"Psh, this is ridiculous," Alex replied. "Mop the room clean? And how's that supposed to happen?"   
  
Sagat cleared his throat. "Well, the goddess did say that everything has to come true ..."   
  
"And so far it has ..." Charlie continued.   
  
"And we see no reason why you ought to break the trend," Maki concluded.   
  
"Hey, this isn't funny!" Alex shouted as a mop was unceremoniously shoved into his hands. Sagat and Charlie picked him up and set him to sweeping, while somewhere Maki procured an apron. "At least discard my middle card for me, okay?" Alex pleaded. Most of the others broke into fits of laughter seeing Alex reduced to the rank of janitor.   
  
_They must be enjoying this game,_ Regina thought happily to herself. _I didn't even have to arrange anything that time._   
  
"My turn." Chun-Li rubbed her hands in anticipation. "My deck isn't so great, but I do have this! 'Give one of your cards to the person immediately before you and sing a song to go with it.'" Chun-Li gave a rendition of a Chinese bedtime song while everyone else thanked his or her lucky stars that Blake wasn't the one who'd played the card. She curtseyed as she finished, drawing applause from everyone present. Alex looked at the card that Chun-Li gave him and cursed; it was the exact same one that he'd discarded previously.   
  
Next in line, Mason laid down his card of choice. "'The next player will remove his cape after it has become unusable.' Not the worst I had, but I figured you'd enjoy this more than anything else, Bison."   
  
Bison sneered. "Oh yeah? I have something better! 'The person directly before you will be chased all over the hotel and forfeit his next turn.' Have fun, Mr. Storm."   
  
Mason guffawed. "Chased all over the hotel? And who's going to do the chasing, huh? I haven't ran from anything since I went cow-tipping with Blake Wallis before the tournament! C'mon, Regina, I dare you to throw whatever you have at me." Still laughing to himself, Mason failed to notice Sagat and Charlie wink at each other, nor Regina's secretive smile. As it turned out, Sagat and Charlie's services were not required. Another person walked into the room, holding a bouquet of flowers in hand.   
  
"Excuse me," Kikoken began, "but has anyone here seen Mason Storm?" Then, when she caught sight of him ... "Mason, honey!"   
  
"Ahhh ... um, we're kinda busy, Kikoken!" Mason jumped up as Kikoken neared, racing to him with flowers in hand. "Look, now's a really bad time, okay? Aah!" He jumped back when Kikoken tried to present the flowers to him. Mason took to running, Kikoken chasing him around the room calling out romantic pick-up lines. "Kikoken, I'm married!" Mason cried desperately.   
  
"I'm not going to fall for that again!" Kikoken declared as she and Mason ran another circuit.   
  
"Nooooo, and I'd just finished cleaning this part of the room!" Alex wailed as Mason stormed by. As Kikoken came around, she accidentally tripped over the pail of water, which sent the contents flying - directly into Bison's uniform. The Lord of Shadowlaw jumped up, but his reaction wasn't quick enough to prevent him from being completely drenched; instead, his cape caught the dirty water head-on. In the ensuing chaos, Mason took advantage of Kikoken's temporary disability to rush out of the room. A moment later Kikoken was hot on his heels. Bison swore lividly as he tore his cape off and threw it aside.   
  
"Crazy game ..." Charlie muttered.   
  
"My turn!" Sakura picked out her card and laid it flat on the expensive Oriental rug. "'Lucky! This card grants you immunity to all effects for one turn.' Woohoo!"   
  
"Well, it's my turn to go," Ken said. "'Scales of Justice. All cards are automatically reshuffled and reassigned. Using this ability will embarrass you later.' Heh, embarrass me? I'm a Hollywood star, nothing embarrasses me! Well, here goes!" He laid down the card and right before his very eyes the pictures and text on his cards blurred out, reforming into a totally different hand after several moments of activity. "Drat, got absolutely nothing out of that. Kinda like the time I took Erin to a fancy restaurant - oops! No, wait, I meant Eliza! Eliza!"   
  
Blake roared with laughter. "That's a nice one, Ken! Let's see you try to pick up Samantha after your wife hears about this," he added in a whisper, and Ken shot him a dirty glare. "Well, I don't know about you," Blake continued, completely ignoring Ken, "but your rearrangement certainly helped me a lot."   
  
"Mind if I join in?" McGrath set his pencil aside as Regina dealt him a stack of cards. "Finally finished this little problem. Just an exercise to keep my brain in top condition." He found a spot after Regina and glanced through his hand without further comment.   
  
"Well, it's my turn," Blake Wallis said. "'The next person will see something that she considers impossible.' Well, how's that, Regina?"   
  
"Sounds exciting," Regina replied, eyes shining. "Here's my play. 'Annihilator's hand. All opponents must draw one card each.'" She smiled sweetly as groans came from all sides, everyone reaching for a card. Sakura laughed, as she was immune to effects for a turn. Then McGrath called Regina's attention back. "Regina, the card is changing."   
  
"What?" Regina looked down at the card and stared as she did so. McGrath had picked it up, but Regina could see that it had begun shifting colors and text. "That's impossible ..." she breathed. "Once played, a card and a future are both set. What could it change into?" When McGrath did not answer but his brow furrowed, Regina pressed her question. "Doctor? What is it?" He looked up and shook his head slowly. Then he folded his hand upside-down into carpet and stood up, tossing the card. It fluttered through the air and landed facedown as McGrath slowly walked out of the room, deep in thought. _What could be on his mind now?_ Regina wondered, reaching for the card. It was certainly strange enough ... then she turned over the card and had her answer. The picture was a portrait of a sealed and bound scroll. What disturbed Regina more was the inscription underneath that she read aloud.   
  
_Ernest McGrath will be the next person to vanish in this tournament._


	18. Match XXI: Neo Commando Squad vs Project...

**Match 2-1: Neo Commando Squad vs. Project Justice**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And yet another update ... well, we can't relax forever, can we? Time marches on no matter what we do, and it's no different in the stories either. This chapter marks about the half-way point on the tournament, with eight matches behind us and seven to go (eight, counting the finals). That being said, enjoy!   
  
**Noctorro:** Chan and Kikoken are punching bags for higher-tier characters! Er, actually, they're what we call Lian. Lian powers are elemental in nature, divided into one of eight types: Essence, Void, Light, Darkness, Fire, Water, Wind, Earth. The entire theory is _very_ complicated, and a Lian's power can be revoked at any time. Without giving away too much, I'll try to work in details on how they got their powers.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
One day has passed _   
  
"Good morning, everyone! Welcome back to the World Collision tournament, hi, my name is Kyosuke Kagami and over here is my friend -"   
  
"Jin, Jin, Jin!" Jin Saotome screamed.   
  
"Right, this is Jin Saotome." Kyosuke adjusted his eyeglasses. "We are here in sunny Osaka, where the weather is a comfortable twenty-eight degrees. We're just about to begin the second match set, featuring two strong teams facing against each other today. Quick recap of the previous match set's events for you." Kyosuke held forth his steady commentary as the gigantic holoprojector flashed through various highlights of the past battles.   
  
"In the first match of the first set, the Neo Commando Squad won a surprisingly easy victory over the Darkstalkers' Alliance through their excellent teamwork. The battle was exciting nonetheless," and here the holoprojector showed Hiryu being turned into a woman, "and a hearty congratulations to the Neo Commando Squad for its victory. In the second match, the Triple Dragons began strong against Project Justice but lost it when the latter team pulled out its big guns." Chan once more caught Yin and they both disappeared in a storm of wind. "In the third match, a breakdown of teamwork amongst the Wrestlers' Association virtually assured the victory of single entry Ernest McGrath." As the audience watched, Haggar disappeared skywards with Zangief in tow as McGrath scratched his head in confusion. "In the fourth match, the IDC's Strike Force _Phantom_ won an atrocious battle against Team Final Fight." Again Samantha caught Guy under the chin with her vicious Minerva Kick. "In the fifth match, the World Warrior team ran over the New Generation team virtually unopposed." Ryu's Shin Shoryuken again knocked Sakura into the stratosphere as the audience oohed and aahed. "In the sixth match, the Killer Bees fell before a one-man onslaught from the leader of the Lords of Shadowlaw." In the holoprojector image, Bison was busy Psycho Drive Crushing the bees into oblivion. "In the seventh match, the Police Investigators fought bravely against Dadallent but were whittled into submission." The video played a repeat of Dadallent catching Mason Storm with the Ravage Assault. "Finally, a fast-paced and exciting battle between the American Vigilantes and the Masters Team resulted in victory to the former." Ken suffered the indignity of once more seeing himself rush straight into Scott's Magnetic Crucible.   
  
"Today's match features the return of two victorious teams, the Neo Commando Squad and Project Justice, whom even as we speak are busy preparing for a showdown at Niagara Falls on the Canadian side of the border. Let's go to our correspondent in the field. Alia, how's everything holding up in Canada?"   
  
"Well, Kyosuke, as you can see, it's nighttime here but a number of floodlights have been set up to illuminate the battlefield." Alia gestured; as the camera panned, the audience could see more of the surrounding landscape. A number of spotlights had been mounted on the periphery of Horseshoe Falls and they cast various rainbows through the mist; tonight the moon was but a sliver of a crescent. Even from this distance, the waterfall thundered softly. Again, as always, the place was an absolutely beautiful locale for a showdown. And then, the blurred shape on the surface of the lake abruptly sharpened. As the camera zoomed in, Alia resumed her commentary. "The fight occurs on a stretch of rock directly in front of the falls. There's not much room for maneuvering between the cliffs on one side and the water on the other. As you can see, Captain Commando and Ruby Heart are already present, but so far only Kikoken has made an appearance amongst the members of Project Justice. Back to you, Kyosuke."   
  
"Thank you, Alia. While we're waiting, let's take a detailed look at the team members. On the Neo Commando side, team leader Captain Commando ..."   
  
Picking his way along the rocky shore, Captain Commando picked up a rock and turned it over in his gloved hand. He had to speak loudly to make himself heard over the waterfall a bare hundred meters away. "You played Regina's bizarre game, didn't you? I heard about what happened. How did it end?"   
  
Ruby Heart shook her head slowly. "Nobody had the heart to keep playing after the goddess showed us the card. Can you blame them? The doctor is holding up remarkably well, but his wife is worried half to death about him. Regina said that she would do everything she could to make sure that it doesn't happen."   
  
"Good. We really don't need any more disappearances." Commando ran a hand through his hair. "Here comes Hiryu with his cheap-as-hell girlfriend. Let's get started."   
  
"Very well, name your leader, Neo Commando Squad," Gill commanded.   
  
Captain Commando indicated Ruby Heart. "Let her lead off this time. I want to see what the other team will do for myself. I'll follow you and Strider can bring up the tail end of the roster."   
  
When all the elements of Project Justice had assembled, Jedah noted Edgar as the opposing leader. Then they all drew back to allow for the prefight dialog to begin, and Edgar did so promptly, assessing Ruby Heart with a hard gaze. "You must be the infamous Ghost Captain, a wolf in sheep's clothing, that I hear so much of."   
  
"And you must be the well-known Hypocrite of Justice," Ruby Heart answered coolly.   
  
"You dare call me that!" Edgar exclaimed indignantly. "I'll set your twisted mind aright!"   
  
_Begin!_   
  
Edgar rushed in without any preamble, aiming straight for Ruby's stomach with a powerful lunging kick. He paid for it a moment later when Ruby Heart ducked under the attack and then burst upwards, her body surrounded by azure flames. Edgar took the attack head-on, clutching a burn on his chest as he tumbled backwards. He landed smoothly, but already Ruby Heart had produced an anchor out of thin air and was tossing it his way. Edgar was unable to dodge the anchor and it tangled itself around his legs; while stuck, he was an easy victim for Ruby Heart's next maneuver, a water blast that geysered straight out of the rocks and launched him skyward. Ruby Heart jumped up and laid into Edgar with an aerial rave.   
  
"The action's already hot," Kyosuke observed. "This battle is heavily in favor of the Neo Commando Squad. The Neo Commando Squad has already beaten a much tougher team than Project Justice, and none of the members of Project Justice can really match any of the Neo Commandos. Also, watch how Ruby Heart is bringing her strikers to bear in this battle, using Captain Commando's various assists to effectively lock Edgar's options down. There he goes wrapped up in another anchor! And Ruby Heart goes right into a super attack - urgh!" Kyosuke was abruptly cut off as Jin seized his collar with excitement.   
  
"Did you see that?" Jin screamed. "She's about to kick his ass!"   
  
A treasure chest had materialized and Ruby Heart kicked it open; when the cover came off, a legion of ghosts suddenly sprang out, all of them rushing towards Edgar. The ninja master turned as pale as a sheet and frantically tried to extricate himself from the chains, but his efforts came too little and too late. The ghosts swarmed all over him and he disappeared under the horde. Then Ruby Heart suddenly snapped her fingers and jumped out of the battlefield. As Edgar struggled to free himself of the ghosts, Captain Commando jumped in and continued the attack. The captain landed practically next to Edgar and wound up his fist, sinking it into the ground with the force of a falling star. The whole battlefield trembled; an enormous pillar of electricity blasted upwards to the sky and then another, and another, each one drawing progressively closer. Edgar kicked away the remains of the chain and hastily knocked the ghosts away. He managed to defend against Commando's Captain Shock, but it wasn't over yet. Edgar watched in disbelief as Commando also tagged out, bringing the next person into the fight. Strider Hiryu pulled his Cypher sword around in one smooth motion and threw an enormous blade of energy off it. It hit solidly and Edgar gasped with shock as the attack sheared cleanly through his wristguards. As Strider pulled the sword around for another swing, Edgar drew his own katana and blocked the blow. The third swing was an overhead bash and Edgar also blocked this one, but the sheer force of the attack knocked him hard into the unforgiving surface of the rocks he was standing on.   
  
Strider took the opportunity to close in with a teleport and dropped out of the sky, slashing downwards. Edgar caught this attack on his blade, but Hiryu pulled out his shoulder-mounted hook and brought it around in a wide-arcing swing. He trapped Edgar's katana between the hook and his own Cypher blade; a moment later, the katana had been sent spinning out of reach and Hiryu slashed again. Edgar hit the ground smoothly and rolled backwards, flinging a shuriken as he popped upright. Only that Hiryu wasn't there. The ninja Strider was a good ten feet away and hopped to the side, triangle jumping off the nearby cliffs for extra air. He threw himself into a rolling spin, the Cypher blade cleaving through the air, and somehow managed to land softly into a shoulder roll. Edgar, nursing a dozen bruises where the ghosts had caught him earlier, signaled and jumped out of the battlefield.   
  
Kikoken slid in and instantly went for a sliding kick aimed squarely at Hiryu's ankles; at the same time, Chan appeared and caught Hiryu during a jump with a Cyclone Wall. The wind flung Hiryu to the side and he landed, not so gracefully this time, practically next to Kikoken. Kikoken lashed out instinctively, but Hiryu was faster, managing to jump upright and dodge the attack in the same motion. The next instant he brought his Cypher blade around and struck Kikoken's shoulder with the flat of the blade; the water Lian felt her entire left arm turn numb. She changed herself into her liquid form as another slash came by, one that threatened to take off her head. Kikoken evaded and reappeared on the opposite side of the battlefield; at the same time, Chan came in from behind and Hiryu completely failed to notice her. A moment later he was trapped and floating helplessly within a cage of wind currents.   
  
Kikoken focused, intending to hit Strider with her CleanSweep attack. But Chan was on the other side, and since she had to maintain the trap effect, Kikoken would risk hitting her, too. She shook her head clear; if Chan reacted quickly, she could get away while still knocking Hiryu out cold. The attack materialized, a series of waves rushing down on Hiryu, as Kikoken drew extra power from the water nearby. But she'd forgotten something; right before her eyes, Ruby Heart dove in on Chan with her entire body aflame and knocked the girl out of the battlefield. Freed from his prison, Hiryu soared up with a powerful jump, leaping over the waves completely. He sank his grappling hook into the cliffs overhanging the battleground and hung safely out of reach, at the same time directing Ruby Heart in for another attack. Ruby Heart slung her anchor and in a moment had Kikoken wrapped up in a mesh of chains. Then, still hanging, Hiryu gave a two-fingered salute.   
  
"And Hiryu has summoned his Options!" Kyosuke announced. "Mr. Q, what can you tell us about this move?"   
  
Q's voice came back in the listless monotone that Kyosuke disliked so much. "This technique is known as the Ouroboros. Hiryu calls four Options, each of which will hit an opponent that comes too close, as well as granting him a pseudo-shield of sorts. Whenever he attacks, each Option also fires off a burst of energy. The Option shield lasts fifteen seconds and allows Hiryu to rack up enormous chain attacks. It is easily his most abusable super technique and so despised that it has been labeled the 'Oh-You-Bore-Us' by many arcade gamers."   
  
"Thanks for the commentary, Mr. Q." Q tipped his hit to Kyosuke as the latter continued with his spiel. "And talk about abusable, ladies and gentlemen - Hiryu teleported right next to Kikoken and let his Options beat the tar out of her. Luckily for her, the Options' time meter ran out right there, but ... yep, she's switching out and bringing Chan in. For those of you new to the tournament, Hiryu and Chan are in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, so it remains to be seen whether they'll be willing to attack each other. Hiryu's calling Ruby Heart again; interesting, he asked for a Power-Up orb. That must mean he's about to go on the offensive. Chan, for her part, is already playing keep-away, but Hiryu is having none of that - urk!"   
  
"Do they think this is a date?!" Jin roared, shaking an armored fist at the screen and nearly deafening Kyosuke. "Get on with it or I'll punch you out with Blodia!"   
  
Chan called Edgar, who threw a card into the battlefield. Hiryu rushed Chan, dodging a succession of wind slashes, but as he closed on her side of the battleground Chan vanished into a gust of wind and reappeared a few seconds later in the space Hiryu had vacated. Hiryu teleported, too, trying to catch Chan with a kick from above, but Chan again vanished. When she reappeared, she was clinging to a plant that grew directly out of the cliffs. Frustrated, Hiryu called in Ruby while Edgar appeared at the same time. Edgar flung a shuriken at Hiryu, which Hiryu easily parried; Ruby Heart produced an anchor from somewhere but it suddenly exploded in a burst of color as Edgar's card activated. Hiryu's eyes narrowed; it was the Magic Jammer, fortunately only good for a single use. During the confusion, Chan had moved again, this time right behind Hiryu before he even noticed her. She caught him by the neck as a tempest of wind gathered around them and had the attack gone through it would have been the end of Strider. As it was, Captain Commando appeared at the last moment before Ruby Heart and Edgar vanished; he sailed across the shore with a flying kick, boots aflame, and caught Chan squarely between the shoulder blades. Chan staggered and dropped Hiryu as the winds died down.   
  
Hiryu signaled for another assist; again Ruby Heart appeared and slung an anchor, which Chan failed to avoid. When Hiryu gave his two-fingered salute and four more Options materialized around him, Chan instinctively faded out again, more from reaction than reason. She managed to successfully dodge Hiryu while his Ouroboros technique remained active, closing in only after they'd walked off. Hiryu grimaced; he'd run out of Options at this rate. Then his mind cooked up another plan and he signaled Ruby with a series of gestures, outlining his trap. Chan was floating some fifteen feet above the shore and taunting Hiryu.   
  
So she was unprepared when Ruby Heart's anchor suddenly hit her backside and wrapped her up in a moment's notice, bringing her to the ground with a thud. Chan swore and called Edgar, but the ninja master was slow to respond; meanwhile, Hiryu crossed his arms and brought his Cypher blade up in a sort of salute, closing his eyes as he did so, and Chan's mind reeled in terror. _That's his Ragnarok technique! There won't be enough of me left to fill up a tablespoon with if he catches me! But what the heck, I can avoid anything he throws at me!_ Chan blurred out again, aiming to reappear with as much distance between herself and Hiryu as possible, and fell right into the trap. Hiryu took advantage of the delayed hyper combo rule and was instantly replaced by Ruby Heart, who launched her own attack.   
  
Chan materialized just in time to see a man-sized barrel dropped on top of her, with slots cut into its sides. The barrel seemed to be rotating of its own power. On the outside, Edgar had finally appeared and launched a shuriken, but Ruby Heart avoided it easily. She threw open one fold of her great overcoat, exposing a vestful of throwing knives, and as the barrel rotated she flung each one with expert aim into a slot. Chan screamed as the assault continued; the barrel was magically sealed to prevent teleportation and Ruby Heart took full advantage of it. She continued flinging a truckload of knives, finally ending with a triple toss that split the barrel open. Chan tumbled out, gushing blood from a score of wounds.   
  
Edgar jumped in to take her place, snarling as he closed in on Ruby Heart. Unfortunately, the sight of Chan knocked out had made him too angry to fight properly. Ruby Heart wore him down by alternating Captain Commando's assists with her own keep away techniques. When Edgar lost his temper and called in Kikoken for a dual team attack, Ruby Heart had a sudden brainwave and called in Commando for their own retaliatory combo. Edgar reached into his sleeves and flung a storm of shuriken their way as Kikoken summoned a massive number of waves. The attack had nearly reached Ruby Heart when she and Commando countered.   
  
Edgar's eyes bulged in disbelief as a veritable pirate ship sailed out of nowhere, knocking his shuriken aside. It came on with unbelievable speed and he had no time to dodge, or even shout, before it hit and impaled him on its mast. Nor was that all; as Kikoken summoned more water, Commando sank his fist into the rocks and launched his Captain Shock right as Kikoken's attack reached him. The waves contacted his fist and suddenly Kikoken was being jolted everywhere by her own electrified waters. Ruby Heart signaled again and the gunports on the phantom pirate ship opened, revealing a cruel bank of cannons aimed straight at the hapless duo of Project Justice.   
  
"And Project Justice goes up in smoke!" Jin screamed. "The Neo Commando Squad has won!"

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Three days have passed _   
  
"... You're heading home, too?" Edgar demanded, looking back forth from Mitsukake to Kikoken. Darrell Markis had left during the match, before Edgar could net him. Sakura Kasugano, for her part, was staying to the end of the tournament. "What is wrong with you two, huh? We still need to prove that justice triumphs over all!"   
  
"Edgar, we lost the tournament," Kikoken replied. "What's the use of staying any longer? I don't want to disappear." She shuddered a bit as she said this last sentence.   
  
"Precisely!" Edgar exclaimed, as though Kikoken had just proven his point. "We need to find the criminals behind these disappearances and bring them to justice! And we need _you_ to help do it!"   
  
Kikoken sighed. "Dr. McGrath has worked himself mercilessly without finding even a single good lead. What makes you think you'd have any better of a chance? No, I'm out of here. And I think you'd better do what Mitsu and I are doing and make yourself scarce, too."   
  
"What about Chan?" Edgar asked.   
  
Kikoken threw her hands in the air. "You know Chan; once she gets an idea in her head she doesn't listen to anything or anyone. She wants to stay with Hiryu and I couldn't talk her out of it however hard I tried. Why don't you try, Edgar?" So saying, Kikoken and Mitsukake picked up their bags and left the hotel via limousine, Edgar following them outside with more of his preaching.   
  
"Sad, isn't it?" Mason Storm asked Ken Masters. "So many people leaving ... at first, we all planned to stay to the very end. And now everyone feels insecure here. It's a real pity."   
  
"Huh, I hear you. We're losing too many young women - er, I mean, contestants," Ken amended hastily. Mason shot him a withering glare. Ken simply sighed again and glanced at his wristwatch. _Morrigan plumb vanished with the rest of the Darkstalkers - now there was a girl who knew what she wanted out of a man! Karin and Ibuki are out of the picture. Jill Valentine's gone, too, and if I made a pass at either Chun-Li, Maki, or Sakura then Eliza would definitely hear about it somewhere down the line. Chan and Kirina are too young, besides which I'd have to deal with Strider or Ryu if I tried. If I tried to pick up Juli then the World Warrior team would lynch me; and if I tried to pick up Cammy then the Phantoms would kick my rear for it. Ruby Heart's too intimidating; I heard she's a manhandler if one ever lived. Samantha I'd have to seduce behind McGrath's back, and he's way too watchful for that to happen. That leaves only Regina, but then I have Gill to worry about. This sucks ... all these beautiful women and I can't have any of them!_   
  
"You okay?" Passing by, Zeku halted for a moment and looked at Ken closely. "You seem tired, or sad."   
  
"I'm fine," Ken replied automatically. "Just need something to do. In fact, I think I will. I'm heading out downtown for about an hour, call my cell phone if you need me."   
  
"Yeah, sure." Zeku took the seat that Ken had vacated. "Afternoon. I'm Zeku."   
  
"Mason Storm." They shook hands across the table. Maki appeared a short while later, as did Kenneth Feng and Scott Wagner. Naturally the conversation turned towards old times and the two older men sat back, remembering bygone battles. Then, "Speaking of which, Ryu is training outside right now. You have anything better to do?" When everyone else shook heads, Mason led them to the outdoor gym.   
  
Ryu was outside, as were most of the other contestants. As Mason appeared, he greeted Ryu and Sagat with a friendly wave and Ryu nodded back. "Good afternoon, Mason. Kirina and Blake were just finished up here." He indicated the two young fighters, both of whom were drinking heavily from bottled water. Samantha McGrath handed Blake a towel while Lloyd perched on the fence, playing with his weapons. Farther back, Sagat and Alex were doing pushups on two fingers. Gouken and Ernest McGrath stopped with their form work for a moment to greet the new arrivals. Regina and Gill were also present, the former wearing a plain skirt and blouse and a contented smile, the latter hovering protectively around the goddess.   
  
"How'd it go?" Zeku asked.   
  
Kirina paused for a moment, drawing breath. "Well, I didn't win ..." she began.   
  
"And neither did I," Blake concluded. "Good match, Kirina." They shook hands and Blake moved off, picking a clear section of the area to shadowbox.   
  
"So what's going on here?" Maki asked.   
  
"A little seminar, sort of," Ryu answered. "I'm overseeing the combat tactics section at the moment; that's what Kirina and Blake just finished. Sagat is doing the whole-body workout, while Lloyd is teaching the weapons seminar. Dr. McGrath is doing the forms section. If you want to do the spiritual power session, go talk to Gill. If you'd like to learn about pressure points, speak to Gen. If you need healing, go talk to Regina." Ryu declined to mention that Sagat had earlier been beaten within an inch of his life by Gill.   
  
"Sounds like fun," Maki muttered. "I think I'll stick to something safe, like knocking Kabuki rejects out of high-rise buildings. Or beating up generic Mad Gear goons." She moved off to the forms section and all silently McGrath began to lead her through a basic Tai Ch'i drill. "Life was so much easier back in the good old days. All we had then to worry about was the insane Mad Gear and a dictator bent on world conquest. Nowadays, a ninja has to -"   
  
"Shut up and concentrate," Zeku admonished, at the same time shooting a warning glance. Maki caught him looking at Gill and closed her mouth, nodding. Whatever she might say, there was a good chance that Gill would take offense to it. But that was Gill ... who, come to think of it, had been acting entirely out of character ever since Regina's arrival. Weird. McGrath sank low and smoothed out, putting his whole body in one fluid motion. Maki followed him as best she could. He led her through the more familiar ninjutsu drills when they had finished with Tai Ch'i. Glancing to the side, Maki saw that Gill was trying to make Scott Wagner and Kenneth Feng sit still for meditation.   
  
"Man, this is so dull," Blake Wallis complained. "Who wants to sing?" Without waiting for a reply, he broke out into an awful rendition of some popular song in the United States. Kirina raised a quizzical eyebrow and McGrath paused just long enough in his form to shrug, as if to give her permission. Kirina nodded her appreciation and turned to face Blake.   
  
"Hadouken!"   
  
"Sheesh, you could've just told me that you didn't like the song," Blake muttered, rubbing his cheek where a toned-down Hadouken had clipped him. "You don't see me throwing a Bandit Wolf Slayer when I express my dissatisfaction, do you?"   
  
"But this is different," Kirina pointed out.   
  
"How so?"   
  
"I can get away with it."   
  
Blake stared for a moment, then snorted and doubled over laughing. "Ha ha ... okay, point. Touché. Now, Regina, would you heal me before this burns down to the bone?"   
  
"Mind your manners when speaking to the Lady Regina, mortal!" Gill thundered, miffed that Blake hadn't even said please.   
  
"It's alright, Gill." Regina made no movement other than to nod slightly at Blake. "It's done," she said, and she smiled. Whatever had occurred, no one else felt or saw anything, but Blake thanked Regina most cordially and a moment later was chasing Kirina around the gym with a knife in hand. "Aren't they cute?" Regina asked with a wistful smile.   
  
Scott Wagner and Kenneth Feng abruptly stood up. "This meditation stuff is crap," Kenneth stated. "It's way too hard sitting still in one place with all this caterwauling going on. We're heading off, see you guys later." Scott and Kenneth split in two directions, the former searching for his teammates, the latter heading to the local pub where fresh alcohol awaited. Gill sighed and muttered something about the youths' lack of patience.   
  
Just then a phone rang; Samantha apologized hastily as she reached for her IDC communicator. "Keychain here." A quick conversation followed before Samantha killed the connection. "It was BEAT leader," she explained. "He reports that there may be potential trouble."   
  
"Of what kind?" McGrath wanted to know.   
  
Samantha shook her head. "He did not say. He seemed more ... amused ... than troubled."   
  
"Probably playing another joke on us," Blake ventured, panting as he skidded to a halt, "though I can't say that I'd blame him. It must be deadly dull babysitting all of us all day, every day. I heard he assigned a whole team just to you, doctor. How does it feel to be coddled?"   
  
McGrath laughed. "You know that I didn't approve of the switch and our superior officers overruled me regardless. They all think that I'm going to disappear. I asked them not to worry, but you know how former field agents are."   
  
Blake frowned, as did Samantha. "This isn't a joking matter," Ryu insisted. "We were all there."   
  
McGrath chuckled again. "I admit, I was troubled, but only for a moment. But then I remembered just where I was, and that I'm surrounded by very dangerous people." He smiled as he began a rendition of a kung-fu exercise designed to teach defense. "Why should I worry when I have such formidable friends? You, Ryu, and Sagat over there, and my old pals Gouken and Zeku, and your daughter Kirina, and the _Phantom_ strike force, and Mason and Maki. And who can forget Gill and Regina? It's not everyone who has a seraph and a goddess on his side. So that's why I'm not worried at all."   
  
"My offer is still open -" Regina began.   
  
McGrath shook his head. "I appreciate the thought. But I'll be fine." Earlier Regina had offered to assign a quartet of valkyries as his special bodyguards, but McGrath had turned the offer down. No use dragging others into danger along with himself. Even though the valkyries were superbly trained warriors from what he understood, McGrath did not feel justified placing them in possible jeopardy for his own sake. Come to think of it, hadn't Gill said something years ago about the valkyries being beautiful female angels? The cynical portion of McGrath's mind wondered how quickly Ken would have taken up a similar offer.   
  
"I see," Regina replied. "If you change your mind, let me know."   
  
"Valkyries, eh?" Sagat asked, wiping off a bead of sweat from his forehead as he rejoined Ryu. "What're they doing around here?"   
  
Regina fielded the question. "The guardians and the valkyries are Heaven's fighting branch, trained by the gods and goddesses of war themselves. They're mainly concerned with combat, but they also run a variety of odd tasks. My angels are standing by and will come if I call them."   
  
"Huh, sounds just like an IDC strike force's job description," Blake Wallis muttered.   
  
"Hey, look, here comes Ken Masters," Mason Storm called. "Care to join us, Ken? Gen has a killer pressure points seminar in the works here."   
  
"Thanks, I'll pass," Ken called back. Then, as he neared, he pulled Regina to one side. "May I have a word with you, please?" he asked, fidgeting a little. Regina allowed herself to be drawn away and Ken put a fair distance between them and the others. Gill looked like he wanted to follow but Kirina preempted him by tossing him a katana and drawing herself into a fencing stance.   
  
"What's he up to now?" Gouken said suspiciously.   
  
McGrath stepped around in a circle, completing the form. "Do you even have to ask? He's trying to seduce Regina, of course. Look at what he's holding in his left hand, though." Gouken squinted, but it was obvious that his aged eyes were no match for McGrath's IDC-enhanced senses.   
  
At the far end of the outdoor gym, Ken halted under a basketball hoop and Regina looked at him expectantly. "Ken, there is something you wished to speak with me about?"   
  
"Well, uh - I wanted to give you this!" he blurted out, holding up a small velvet box and feeling his face redden.   
  
He pulled the box open and Regina gasped; a ring set with thirty-two small gems on its perimeter glittered in the afternoon sun. "Can it really be for me!? What a beautiful zirconium ring!" Regina exclaimed, and Ken nearly had a heart attack. _Waah! She can tell that it's zirconium and not diamond?! I'm never going to hear the end of this one!_ Yet Regina did not seem to notice, instead slipping the ring onto her index finger and then holding it up. "Absolutely fabulous! Thank you, Ken!" Ken took a half-step back in surprise as Regina threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, then grinned and pulled her close. Regina disentangled herself after a long moment, but she was still smiling quite happily. Farther away, Gill looked as though he were about to suffer from massive trauma and Kirina had no trouble disarming him.   
  
"Kinda clueless, isn't she?" McGrath said aloud to nobody in particular, and when a few questioning looks came his way, he explained, "That ring isn't diamond at all, it's zirconium. Please don't ask me how I know that."   
  
"If somebody gave me a zirconium ring and pretended that it was diamond," Maki said half-idly, "I'd break up with him instantly - after breaking his bones, of course."   
  
"Shh," Sagat cautioned as Ken and Regina walked back, the latter with her arm slipped through Ken's. "What she doesn't know can't hurt her, right?"   
  
"Isn't it beautiful?" Regina gushed, showing the ring to all present. A chorus of half-hearted replies came back, with Ryu giving Ken what Kirina called The Look. Ken's return smile was so bland and innocent that Ryu nearly choked. Gouken, watching the play unfold between the two of them, laughed silently. "I'm sorry that I don't have anything to give you in return, Ken," Regina continued. Apparently words failed her at that point as she half-turned and blinked her tears away. McGrath traded a look with Gill that said _She tears up way too easily._ Regina borrowed Gill's sleeve to wipe her eyes; glancing around, McGrath noted that most of the others had returned to their drills, apparently too embarrassed by the scene to keep watching.   
  
"Maybe we ought to have Ken ... disappear," Blake muttered to Lloyd. 


	19. Match XXII: Ernest McGrath vs Strike For...

**Match 2-2: Ernest McGrath vs. Strike Force _Phantom_**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** This will be the last update for quite some time. I really need to work on other fanfic projects that I've completely neglected in favor of Colliding Worlds. So until further updated, this fic is on indefinite hold. No, I haven't burnt myself out, but I do need to stop writing for some time. Also, at this time a new concept art has been added to the website. It's a portrait of the four main characters of the story and you can find the link in my author's profile. (Waits for angry reviews demanding to know why other OCs are not considered main characters.)

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Two days have passed _   
  
"Dr. McGrath, may I speak with you for a moment?" Regina stood in the doorway of the room that Ernest McGrath shared with his wife. The doctor was seated at his desk, a trove of information that the IDC had scraped together neatly catalogued in five large binders. Somewhere on the ground floor, Samantha and the rest of the strike force were reviewing security procedures with the BEAT squads. McGrath indicated an unused chair and stowed his pencils away, turning around to face Regina. "I came here to apologize about our earlier game of Fortune Special."   
  
"No apology is necessary."   
  
"I still feel responsible for what happened, but ... do you ... do you really feel that way ...? Thank you, doctor." Regina seated herself on the chair that McGrath had indicated to her. She was still wearing Ken's gift, the zirconium ring that Ken had no doubt bought from the store where Karin and Ibuki had vanished. "There is something else, too. Dadallent ... just killed someone else."   
  
"What?!" McGrath exclaimed, leaping up. "Who is it?"   
  
Regina shook her head quickly. "No one that you knew. She is a Class C valkyrie named Rynn and answers directly to my sister. I talked to Rynn after the battle that cost her physical form; she said that Marin had assigned her to guard Dadallent, in order to avoid repeats of the episode that killed Kenneth and Ryu. Doctor, it may be strange to hear this from a goddess such as myself, but ... I'm afraid of Dadallent. His soul is full of agony, and I fear that one day he will do great harm. I don't understand why, but he scares me."   
  
"He has that effect on people," McGrath said grimly. "And I meant to ask you earlier, Regina: I struck a devil's bargain with him to neutralize his threat after the tournament. He is an honorable fighter, but I'm not above suspecting deceit on his part. If worse comes to worst, I want you to make sure that he doesn't harm anyone else."   
  
"I think I can do that," Regina replied. "But I fear for you, too. I don't know who it was that warned you that you would be the next to vanish. Changing a card after it has already been cast is not easy; I can't do it when I'm in mortal form. Whatever happens, I will do my very best to protect you."   
  
McGrath smiled warmly. "Thank you, Regina. Like I said earlier, what do I care for warnings and threats when I have a goddess on my side?"   
  
Regina smiled too. "Then I will speak to you again before your match," Regina said, and she stood up and slipped out of the room with easy grace. McGrath nodded his farewell and returned to his work. His match was coming up in an hour. After reviewing his information summary one last time, McGrath stood up, stretched, and reached for his combat uniform. Two minutes later he was dressed and out of the room, locking the door behind himself. McGrath whistled the tune of an old IDC battle song to himself as he jaunted down the flight of stairs.   
  
As it was, he bumped into Sakura Kasugano on his way down. "Hello, Sakura."   
  
"Dr. McGrath, I've been looking for you."   
  
"Oh? What for?" McGrath paused in midstride, in the middle of the hotel lounge. He frowned upon taking a more detailed look at her. Sakura's aura looked ... altered. McGrath himself was too well-trained to let his previous impression of her fool him. The first time you saw something, you took it in with all your senses, but afterwards you started filling in your picture more and more from memory. McGrath put aside his memory now and concentrated on observing Sakura with an open mind. There was something ... well, not wrong, but different - about her.   
  
"I've been feeling sick for the past three days," Sakura admitted. "I don't know what it is. I talked to Regina yesterday and she tried to heal me, but ... nothing came of it. So I was wondering if you'd diagnose me."   
  
McGrath chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, Sakura, but I think you're talking to the wrong person. I'm not a medical doctor. You'd probably do better to find Gill - he knows a lot about medicine. Come with me, if I guess correctly then Gill is already at the battleground. Can you make it?" McGrath offered Sakura his shoulder and she leaned on him slightly as they walked together to the hotel plaza. Once they were outdoors, a bright light shone around both of them; when it faded a moment later, they were standing at the designated battleground.   
  
McGrath and Sakura gazed around before the former realized where they were. "Well, what do you know ... we're in the middle of the Atlantic! Aboard Ruby Heart's ship," McGrath added when Sakura pulled a blank look. "And pretty far out, too - at least two hundred miles from the nearest shore by the look of it." They stood on the deck of Ruby Heart's ship, a massive galleon sporting intimidating cannons and an array of weaponry. The whole ship looked spit-polished to perfection. It might have fitted comfortably in a museum, as it was a wooden vessel with an assortment of steel parts. It was also huge; the top deck alone had to be at least twenty meters wide and much longer than that. The raised quarterdeck was farther ahead, elevated several meters above the rest of the ship. To the stern, the deck was also raised; the battlefield had been marked out in the center of the ship. Ruby Heart's ship had three masts with all the sails furled at the moment. It might have looked elegant and stately were it not for the aggressive sweeps painted all along the hull and the cannons staring from every available port. A few stray clouds hung above.   
  
To the side, the camera crews had already arrived and were busy setting up equipment. The Reploid Alia was also present, as were Gill and Jedah. Sakura was mildly surprised to find Regina also present. McGrath swept his gaze around the battlefield, but this time he did not bother to acquaint himself with the ground, merely stamping on the deck once or twice to test its stability. It felt firm to the touch. McGrath knelt down and pressed his cheek to the deck, sighting along the surface, but it was entirely smooth and straight as a ruler, with no indentation anywhere, not even the odd splinter. Satisfied, McGrath stood up and brought Sakura to where Gill, Regina, and Jedah waited.   
  
"Sorry to bother you, Gill," Sakura began, "but I've been sick for the past three days and I was told you might be able to help me. Did you know that Dr. McGrath isn't a medical doctor?"   
  
"I did," Gill answered with a smile.   
  
"What?! How ... then what is he?"   
  
McGrath laughed. "Are you ready for this, Sakura? My doctorates are in mathematics and music theory, respectively." Sakura's jaw dropped open in stunned disbelief. "Don't give me that look, Sakura! I never said I was a medical doctor, did I?"   
  
"But everyone called you Dr. McGrath, so I just assumed ..." she trailed off.   
  
Gill nodded at McGrath while speaking to Sakura. "Ernest is a very intelligent and gifted individual. He earned his first doctorate from M.I.T. when he was but fifteen years of age, and his second a year after." Sakura's jaw dropped another three inches and her eyes bulged.   
  
"You're embarrassing me, Gill," McGrath claimed, nudging the seraph.   
  
"Oh, that's quite impressive, Ernest," Regina said. "Sakura, you were saying?"   
  
"Yes," Sakura replied. "Whenever I wake up in the mornings, I feel dizzy. And my stomach's giving me trouble - I nearly threw up yesterday. And I feel tired, like I want to sleep the whole day out."   
  
Gill frowned. "What do you think, Ernest?"   
  
"Why are you asking me?" McGrath replied. "You're the expert, Gill."   
  
The frown deepened. "Hmm ... have you eaten anything uncooked lately, Sakura?"   
  
"No. I've been at dinner with everyone else, remember? I wouldn't give up Regina's meals for anything!"   
  
"Why thank you, Sakura," Regina smiled.   
  
Gill tilted his head to the side and studied Sakura more closely. "Your aura has changed somewhat," he said at last. "The glow of health has not left you, but certainly you are affected by something. What could it be?"   
  
"I tried healing her yesterday," Regina added. "It didn't work very well. I'm sorry, Sakura."   
  
McGrath took Sakura's wrist and felt her pulse, at the same time remarking, "There's no need to worry. A little bed rest ought to -" At this point he broke off and his eyes widened. His head snapped up to look Sakura squarely in the eyes as he breathed out, "I don't believe this ... no way!" His lips curved up into an expression to match his astonishment. "_Now_ it all makes sense ... your altered aura, everything!"   
  
"Huh, what?" a thoroughly confused Sakura asked.   
  
McGrath broke into a full smile. "Sakura, you're two weeks pregnant! Congratulations!" A moment later, before Sakura could even process the words, McGrath had swept her into a fierce hug. He whispered into her ear, "It's a boy" while squeezing her in his firm grip. Then he pulled apart from her. "Darrell's going to be overjoyed when he hears about this!" Gill took the other wrist and Sakura's pulse, then nodded his head in confirmation after a few seconds. To Sakura's left, Regina was smiling brilliantly and offering her heartiest congratulations.   
  
"You mean it?" Sakura asked, breaking into her own bright smile. "How'd you know?"   
  
McGrath shrugged carelessly, still smiling. "A trick I learned in the IDC. Blood reveals life - never let anyone tell you otherwise."   
  
"I'm ... I'm pregnant ..." Instinctively Sakura's hands went around her stomach and she smiled. Regina hugged Sakura closely while Gill and McGrath stepped aside and compared medical notes in whispered tones. Jedah Dohma also congratulated Sakura, and for that brief instant she was the happiest person in the world. McGrath pulled out his IDC communicator, located Darrell's number, and handed it to Sakura. An excited conversation followed. "Darrell's thrilled, too!" Sakura announced, handing the communicator back to McGrath. "Can you imagine? Our very first baby!"   
  
"What will you name him?" Regina asked eagerly.   
  
Gill and McGrath traded glances, already guessing what the answer would be. And as it turned out, both of them were right. "Ryu!" Sakura proclaimed. "I'm naming the boy Ryu! That is, if Darrell has no objection ... hmm, I should've asked him about it while I was on the phone. I still can't believe that I'm having a baby boy!"   
  
"Who's having a baby boy?" Sakura half-started, but it was only Blake Wallis, who had marched up behind her with his two teammates.   
  
"Congratulate Sakura, she's two weeks pregnant," McGrath informed Blake.   
  
Blake stared at Sakura for a moment, then smiled. "Ah, I see. My heartiest congratulations to you, Sakura. So _that's_ why you and Darrell couldn't come to the party that night," he added, and Sakura blushed furiously. Blake stepped aside to allow Samantha and Lloyd to offer their own salutations. "You just find out, huh? Called Darrell yet?"   
  
"I have," Sakura answered. "He can't believe the news either."   
  
"Well, enjoy it while it lasts," Blake continued amiably. "Because soon you'll be dealing with morning sickness and - urk!" He was abruptly and rudely cut off as Samantha planted her left heel into his chin. A moment later, she had pulled him off the ground and he dangled half a meter in the air, suspended off Samantha's upright leg. Blake had both arms on Samantha's ankle, trying to loosen the hold enough for him to breathe, but strengthwise he was easily outclassed. Coolly and efficiently Samantha admonished Blake about scaring the wits out of Sakura with his tall tales; when she finally dropped him to the ground, Blake fell with a loud gasp. Sakura wondered if she were seeing things or if his face had really turned a slight shade of blue.   
  
As though nothing had happened, Samantha smoothly turned around to face Sakura. "Please pardon my impetuous comrade. He does not mean harm."   
  
"Yeah, sorry about that," Blake said, standing up and rubbing his neck. "Just be sure to get some bed rest - that, and eat plenty of meats."   
  
"I certainly will."   
  
"Just tell me if you need anything, Sakura," Regina said. "Anything at all, I'd be more than willing to do for you." She was still wearing her beautiful smile, which widened as Sakura thanked her.   
  
"Well, looks like we're all here," McGrath noted after a moment. "Shall we begin?"   
  
Jedah preempted him. "Not yet. The reporters at Osaka Dome will not arrive for another half hour."   
  
"Oh. Well, it was worth a try." He intended to say something else to his wife and the strike force, but the sound of displaced air that marked a teleportation arrival distracted him. "Well well well ... if it isn't Commando, Hiryu, and Chan!"   
  
"Hi!" Chan waved.   
  
"Hey there, Strider and Strider's girlfriend," Blake called back, and he had to dodge a Wind Slice for it.   
  
"What brings you here?" Gill asked.   
  
"Just came to watch," Commando answered. "That, and to get away from Edgar for a moment. I've heard of people preoccupied with justice before, but he takes it to the level of an obsession. Still, can you blame him after knowing how he grew up? Anyway, here we are. I asked Ruby Heart to come with us but knowing her she's probably off stealing the latest valuable heirloom that somebody brought to the tournament."   
  
"Heh, Ken better keep a sharp eye on his credit card," Blake remarked. "And I hope Kirina has her antique sword stashed somewhere safe. By the way, did you hear the news? We just found out that Sakura's pregnant."   
  
"Really?" Chan asked, eyes widening with interest. "Does Darrell know?"   
  
Blake cut in before Sakura could answer. "Of course! What, did you think Sakura was carrying Ken's child?" Blake laughed. He regretted his comment when Commando and Hiryu met him with a dead serious look. Sakura glared, while Regina looked puzzled.   
  
Chan pulled Hiryu aside a moment later and he bent down to hear what she wanted to say. Regina sighed wistfully as she watched them leave. "Those two really have a beautiful relationship," she remarked. "They make each other happy when they're together. But ... Hiryu is hesitant. Still, as long as Chan doesn't give up ... I'm sure her feelings will reach his heart."   
  
Samantha had come up to McGrath and was leaning her head against her husband's shoulder. "They are close," she said, "but passion is not love."   
  
"And you'd know about either because ...?" Blake inquired lightheartedly, and Samantha chuckled.   
  
"Kids these days," Commando muttered, watching Hiryu and Chan, but he it was no secret that he didn't really care about Hiryu's love life. He adjusted his ten-gallon hat for a better look. McGrath and Samantha traded a swift kiss before the latter gathered her two teammates together and went off to the side, doubtlessly to talk over battle strategies. Hiryu and Chan finished a circuit around the deck and rejoined the group. Sakura looked a little lonely without Darrell by her side, but Regina quickly struck up a conversation and the two of them gossiped to the side.   
  
Meanwhile, half a world away, Kyosuke Kagami adjusted his tie and tapped experimentally on the microphones. "Okay, they work. We're live in five ... four ... three ... two ... one! Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to the World Collision tournament! I'm Kyosuke Kagami and this is my colleague Jin Saotome. We're broadcasting live from Osaka Dome and the Atlantic, where today's match features single entry Ernest McGrath facing off against the very strike force that he trained, _Phantom._ Our correspondent in the field is currently greeting the sunrise. How's it like aboard the ship, Alia?"   
  
Alia was wearing her usual glossy sheen of paint. "Well, Kyosuke, the day is surprisingly warm at this latitude, a comfortable temperature for humans. Over my shoulder, you can see the _Phantoms_ discussing their battlefield tactics. And farther back is Dr. Ernest McGrath, who is speaking with the referees at the moment. You'll also see Captain Commando and Strider Hiryu, two of the members of the Neo Commando Squad. And on the sidelines is Sakura Kasugano, a member of the New Generation team who was here earlier and has just returned again. The lady standing by Sakura is named Regina and she seems to be a friend of hers. Back to you, Kyosuke."   
  
"Thanks, Alia." Kyosuke pulled up a stack of notes. "Well, folks, the match is about to start. On the single entry side, Ernest McGrath has proven himself in the past to be an immensely talented warrior, easily on the very top in the world of martial arts. He also has the advantage in that he trained all three of the _Phantoms_ that he'll be facing, and so he knows their styles. On the other hand, however talented, he's still one person going up against a trio of soldiers who plainly know the value of teamwork. I say that this one is too close to call. Let's take a look at the field."   
  
McGrath looked up from his conversation with Gill as Sakura suddenly pulled apart from Regina, saying something in a low and urgent voice. A moment later she was dragging him away from Gill to the foot of the quarterdeck, where the constant wind made it more difficult to hear. "Sakura! Shouldn't you be -"   
  
"Yes, and I will," Sakura answered impatiently. "But I just remembered what I meant to say earlier. Those words that I saw on that scrap of paper - I finally recalled them."   
  
"You did!" McGrath exclaimed in a low whisper, resisting the instinctive urge to glance around for eavesdroppers when he already knew that none were listening. "What were they?"   
  
"All Greek to me," Sakura answered. "But I wrote it down for you," and she discreetly passed him a slip of paper. "Just imagine that written in the gold ink of our invitation cards, with a handwriting to match. Do you recognize the language?"   
  
McGrath sucked in his breath sharply, not believing what he read. "French words. I don't believe it ..."   
  
"What?"   
  
"_Fin d'Âme Interdite_," McGrath pronounced in a low voice. Was it Sakura's imagination, or were there hints of both understanding and urgency in his voice? "Listen. Don't say a word about this to anyone until I've spoken with you again after the match. Anyone, you hear! It's a French phrase that means -"   
  
"Hey, doc!" Blake Wallis called, swaggering up and punching McGrath on the arm. "Quit flirting with Sakura and stand center. Or did you not notice that our match was supposed to have begun already?"   
  
McGrath stuffed the scrap of paper in his pocket and nodded gravely. "I'll talk with you after the match, Sakura. This answers a lot of questions that I had. Enjoy the show. And don't overexert yourself." Sakura, watching him stride off to the center of the battlefield, noted that there was a definite change; McGrath seemed to be simultaneously worried and relieved. Gill and Jedah were there, too. Regina, Commando, Hiryu, and Chan were seated near the stern, below the cameras of the filming crew. When thunder rumbled overhead, Blake glanced up sharply and McGrath also looked. Blake's eyes narrowed; he hadn't realized that the cloud cover was a lot thicker now, blotting out the morning sun in a sea of gray. Thunder again growled in the distance. Great, just what they needed, a thunderstorm. Blake thought to speak with Regina for a moment, then dismissed the idea. It was true that the goddess could alter the weather instantly, but the last time he'd asked she had refused, saying that in the absence of an emergency it was better not to disturb the workings of nature. No emergencies at the moment, thankfully enough.   
  
"Strike Force _Phantom_, name your tactical leader," Jedah ordered.   
  
"I'll lead this time," Blake Wallis offered. Samantha McGrath nodded and stepped aside for him, the fighters clearing out the space at the center of the battlefield.   
  
McGrath drew himself into a fighter's stance. "Coming at you, big time!"   
  
Blake pulled a fist back and grinned diabolically. "Bring it on, big time!"   
  
_Begin!_   
  
The impossibly bright light flashed for an instant, temporarily blinding both contestants. They both recovered near instantly - and McGrath felt, to his horror, a sudden and familiar aura explode all around him. A moment later he could discern its intent. Blake dove in with a mighty punch that would've stunned a bull upon connection, but McGrath slid to the side. "Blake! Move, now!" He reached out and pulled Blake by the shoulders, dragging him away just as a dark shape hurtled past the _Phantom_ and skidded to a halt a few meters beyond. With one mighty effort, McGrath shoved Blake a good half dozen meters away. There was no time to think, or even react; a bright light pierced through the clouds overhead and shone around McGrath and the new entry, enclosing them in a curtain of golden brilliance. It fanned out until it encompassed the whole battlefield, and for all that it looked like light, it might have been solid iron, completely impenetrable. Blake was caught along the light's advance and rolled ungracefully to the edge of the field, nearly crushed against the quarterdeck. McGrath, for his part, focused on the new arrival, and despite the fact that his opponent still wasn't facing him, he already knew who it was by the aura. The bright red character for invincibility that appeared a moment later only confirmed his guess. McGrath's mouth arched upwards into a smile as he sank into a fighting stance to meet Akuma.   
  
_At last! A worthy opponent!_


	20. Here Comes a New Challenger!

**Here Comes a New Challenger!**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** First of all, the art page has been updated with concept artwork by Noctorro. Thanks for the picture, Josh! Also, a winquotes page has been attached to the team roster. Next, Akuma's movelist has been added to the website under the Single Entries category. Finally, a new soundtrack has been enabled. No Fate is Sealed is the battle theme between Akuma and McGrath, and it is one of the most intense soundtracks you'll ever listen to. It conveys the fury and sets the atmosphere of this combat, where two titans collide in an ultimate test of skill, strength, and spirit, with only the victor able to keep his soul. Try reading the story with this soundtrack blasting in your ears, I guarantee you'll love it.

* * *

_Somewhere in the Atlantic   
About the same time _  
  
It was like an instant of eternity as everything fell away: the ship, the golden curtains, the sway of the seas, the sharp salt tang, the ominous thunderclouds. For Akuma and for McGrath, suddenly, there was only the here and the now. One's opponent filled one's vision, looming large in one's consciousness. There was no ship, no preset battle, no thoughts for the anxious spectators. There was only the here, the now, the foe who must be fought and overcome. And Dr. Ernest McGrath, who had faced countless opponents in the course of his lifetime, once more prepared himself for battle without a word.   
  
Akuma faced McGrath, sinking low into his own fighting stance, and pleased that McGrath had already done so earlier. All around them the unearthly golden light hung like a shimmering curtain that stretched to the sky, completely enveloping the two warriors and keeping them separate from everyone else. The pirate ship creaked ominously but it might as well have been solid ground, so firmly was it anchored. And while the sidelines were in chaos - distant-sounding shouts informed McGrath that all cameras and long-distance communications were out - heavy stillness reigned over the area enclosed by the gold veil. For a long, pregnant instant neither of the two fighters moved, only gazing into each other's eyes in that expectant pause. _So this is what Ernest chose to become. He never was a true warrior, yet his strength cannot be denied. And that, perhaps, is because he fights for what he believes in ... and I resemble him more than I would like to admit._   
  
_Gouki ... Akuma ... the name makes no difference to me,_ McGrath thought. _The brash, bright-eyed boy has grown to be an intense presence, regarding his career with the utmost seriousness. Yet still his eyes shine with the passion that always marked him as a true warrior. Old friend, would that you had not chosen to appear now. But my friends and my family are present and I would defy Heaven itself to ensure their well-being._ And Akuma knew it, too. He was clever, in a way, forcing McGrath into a situation where he knew that his opponent would fight with all his strength. None of the half-playful sparring that they did when they trained under Goutetsu together.   
  
They moved. One moment there was a good five meters between them; the next instant it had vanished completely and each was testing the other's defenses with a flurry of light blows. They traded half a hundred attacks before disengaging, neither one the worse for the encounter. Then McGrath glanced to the side, the quarterdeck where he'd shoved Blake earlier. But there was no time to see if his fellow soldier were unhurt; Akuma circled in for another attack and McGrath forced his mind back to the battle, meeting blow for blow. _Samantha ..._   
  
Samantha McGrath, for her part, was completely distraught. "Ernest!" she shrieked.   
  
"Stay out of this!" he called back, ducking under an overhead swipe. McGrath retaliated with a firm uppercut, but while anyone else might have been overwhelmed by his speed, Akuma parried the blow and responded with two of his own. McGrath managed to block both of them, Soul Reversing away the worst of the impact. Against a lesser opponent, the double attack would have served to knock him off balance. But this was a battle of the masters and the least mistake would mean a swift and certain death.   
  
Samantha tried to dash through the shimmering gold veil, but it might as well have been concrete. It was completely unyielding and she bruised herself in the attempt. Lloyd, for his part, flung a pair of knives. Blake tried for the Mayhem Rampage, launching attacks that would have knocked holes into inch-thick steel barriers. Lloyd's eyes narrowed and he took off his chronometer, set it, and then flung it against the gold barrier. The chronometer detonated with an earsplitting blast and released a recoil that knocked back all three _Phantoms_. The golden barrier, for its part, did not cooperate.   
  
Panting heavily, Samantha raced up the quarterdeck to the one person who might be able to do something. "Regina!" she begged, "please, you must assist Ernest! There must be something you can do!"   
  
"I'll try," Regina answered grimly, her eyes narrowed as she considered the sealed area where McGrath and Akuma fought. Akuma jumped back, avoiding a powerful back kick aimed at his torso. He struck McGrath's knee as it went past, but what was meant to be a bone shattering blow was dissipated harmlessly as McGrath snapped his lower leg back and so negated the force of the attack. Akuma's hands cupped and they glowed, but only for an instant. He launched a powerful fireball off his hands and McGrath was dismayed but not surprised to see that it held all the power of a lesser opponent's super level techniques.   
  
But if Akuma was a master of channeling energies, so was McGrath. Five years of training to fight Dadallent had taught him a wealth of knowledge about energy-based attacks. The Gou Hadou streamed towards him like a blazing star, but McGrath struck it with his fist and its energies bled away instantly. There was no time to celebrate, however; Akuma drove in with a vicious forward strike and McGrath parried it. As he did so, he retaliated with a swift pivoting elbow strike, while Akuma moved at the same time with a kick from the side. There was a sickening crunch as McGrath's elbow crashed into Akuma's upper arm while the dark Ansatsuken fighter's own attack found McGrath's exposed waist. The force of the attack flung both fighters back, but only for a moment before they resumed their deadly dance, so quickly that the bystanders could not discern every individual movements. Not that the movements mattered; first blood had been drawn, for both warriors had struck and struck well.   
  
Regina pressed her palms together and concentrated as her aura awakened: a powerful, all-enveloping sensation that made Samantha giddy, easily dwarfing the spirits of the two men who fought just a dozen meters away. She concentrated, and her face was as grim as the thunderclouds that boomed ominously overhead. Even those who were untrained in energy usage must have felt Regina's sheer power wrapping around them like a thick fog that was almost tangible. Regina's palms glowed and she extended both arms, aiming her attack at the golden barrier. If they could only get it down, the fight would be over. The goddess wore an intense look of concentration on her beautiful face and Samantha could only contrast that with the gentle ease with which she had previously used her power. Then it had been a few trivial exercises in power usage. This was for real.   
  
Regina's palms erupted in a powerful stream of energy that nearly blinded Samantha's spiritual senses and, for a moment, overwhelmed both McGrath and Akuma. The attack struck the gold veil head-on with an energy that would have obliterated the Earth in a split second had Regina wished it. But the gold veil remained as solid and immovable as it always had been, as though Regina's effort made no impression at all upon it, and the goddess finally let go with a gasp. She sank to her knees, breathing hard from the effort, and Gill had to support her. "I-I can't," Regina rasped. "The barrier is far too strong for my power ... I didn't affect it at all ..."   
  
"Regina ..." Samantha whispered, indescribable anguish in her eyes at being so close and yet so helpless.   
  
"I'm so sorry, Samantha," Regina whispered. "If my powers weren't confined ... by a human body ... I could tear this veil down in an instant ... as it is ... I can't help him at all ..." But still she was gasping for breath and Samantha realized that the sheer power of the attack must have been almost more than her frail mortal flesh could handle. Samantha also knelt and held Regina's hand, staring helplessly at the place where McGrath and Akuma fought. Farther back, Blake was yelling threats and challenging Akuma to fight them all instead.   
  
"That barrier is completely impenetrable," Chan reported as she whisked out of the surrounding air. "It won't let in even the smallest air molecule. Hiryu can't get inside, either. I'm sorry, Samantha."   
  
"There must be a way," Samantha insisted as McGrath blocked a heavy blow aimed at his jaw.   
  
"I tried going under the deck, too," Chan answered, "but the barrier goes all the way through the ship and to the bottom of the sea, it looks like. And if we move the ship, the barrier is going to move right along with it."   
  
Meanwhile, Akuma hopped off the deck and triangle jumped off the main mast, gaining extra height. He flung one arm out and launched a fireball, but a moment later was sailing backwards as McGrath retaliated with the Half-Moon Kick. Unfortunately, the attack came at a cost; the fireball struck cleanly on an exposed arm and instantly the arm numbed. Akuma crashed heavily against the unyielding golden curtain, but he rolled aside and was on his feet a moment later; none too soon, as it turned out, for he had avoided McGrath's Mayhem Rampage by a bare half meter.   
  
McGrath quickly wiped the sweat off his brow as Akuma tried to exploit the momentary advantage left by the whiffed Mayhem Rampage. He tried to pull Akuma into an elbow strike, but the Ansatsuken master was too cunning for that and McGrath considered the situation grimly. _I know your moves, Akuma, and your style. But you're too experienced to try anything fancy, at least not before wearing me down to the breaking point. Try to hit me with the Shun Goku Satsu and I'll cram a Mayhem Rampage down your throat. You may have inhuman endurance, but even you wouldn't be able to withstand that. You're no Dadallent, you don't have his invulnerabilities._ Although, strictly speaking, neither did McGrath. He'd have to fight cautiously until his friends could figure out a way to help him; one mistake, and it would be over.   
  
McGrath saw an opening and struck, but without lunging forward the way a lesser warrior would surely have done. His vigilance paid off a moment later as Akuma blurred out and slid away; only a very short distance, though, just half a meter. This caused McGrath's attack to miss entirely but at least his balance hadn't been compromised. When Akuma lashed out with a knee strike, McGrath simultaneously responded with a high kick. Akuma caught the attack on crossed wristguards while his knee strike connected with McGrath's ribs; however, McGrath had anticipated the contact and safely Soul Reversed away the force of the attack.   
  
A moment later he'd planted his kicking foot down firmly and brought both his arms around in one fluid motion, pressing his palms together. Then he struck, hard; still off balance from the knee attack and unable to use his arms to defend himself, Akuma nevertheless managed to jump back from the offensive maneuver. But the attack was too fast and caught him squarely in the chest, knocking Akuma back half a dozen meters and as such inconveniently out of reach for any follow-up attacks. Still, the Hell Press was the first real blow that either of the two had landed yet. As Akuma regained his feet, the first drops of rain began to fall lightly on the deck. The day had grown dark but flashes of lightning illuminated the entire battlefield in a surreal shade of white.   
  
Outside the battle, Regina stood up with a determined look on her face and concentrated again, blasting at the barrier with all the power at her command. This attack lasted longer than her first attempt but again failed to affect the golden barrier and Regina collapsed to her knees. "My lady, you must not overexert yourself!" Gill said urgently, and Samantha looked as though her heart were torn between McGrath's battle and Regina's obvious suffering.   
  
"No, I must ... I must reach him," Regina gasped out. "I promised that I would keep him safe ... with all my strength ... but even the ultimate circle of focus would be useless without more power ..." She paused, catching her breath, and then looked upwards into the rain that was now descending with greater intensity. "Dear sister," she whispered, "why are you doing this?"   
  
"Do you mean to say that Marin -" Samantha began heatedly.   
  
"I don't know!" Regina cried in anguish. "No one except a powerful god or goddess could maintain such a shield. But if it is Marin ... if it really is ... oh, to believe that my sister could do this would be an unbearable thought! And she isn't answering me! I ... I can't do anything -!" Regina sobbed into Gill's shoulder and Samantha could only stare hard at the goddess who was now as powerless as herself.   
  
Wiping rain out of his eyes, Akuma concentrated on the battle. It was getting hard to see McGrath visually amongst the downpour and the lightning all around them was too sporadic to remedy that. But McGrath shone invisibly in the spirit world and Akuma himself could thus track him with eyes closed. He was still feeling the effects of the Hell Press, which had probably broken a rib or at the very least ruptured a number of blood vessels. McGrath slid forward with a jab; Akuma blocked it, expecting it to be a feint, and indeed it was. McGrath followed the attack with a lightning-fast elbow strike that Akuma ducked. He clenched his fist and rose up in the classic Ansatsuken uppercut, meeting McGrath's attack halfway. Their forces collided, but only for an instant before Akuma won out and the last hit of his uppercut clipped McGrath's chin.   
  
Even though he'd avoided the worst of the attack, McGrath still smarted. Akuma launched a point-blank range fireball as McGrath reeled for a moment and the doctor had only the barest amount of time to knock it away into nothingness with a strike of his own. When Akuma jumped up and launched a fireball from the air, McGrath was ready; he skipped to the side, dodging the attack entirely, and the fireball blasted away a portion of the deck with a violent explosion. McGrath launched a Half-Moon Kick up at Akuma and the dark Ansatsuken master air-blocked it. The recoil pushed him back into the golden walls, but he rolled aside and slid harmlessly off of them.   
  
"Damn it, isn't there anything we can do?" Blake demanded, striking a bulkhead in frustration.   
  
"There may be a way," Regina said heavily, "but it would cost my mortal life. If I weren't confined by a human body, I could break the seal." Blake and Gill stared at her; they all did. "If you want me to, I can take my own life. Then I could break the barrier down, but ... I wouldn't be able to create a new body in time to see the rest of the tournament. Your choice," Regina offered, and she nodded at Samantha.   
  
Heartbroken, Samantha only looked back and forth between the arena where her husband fought and at the goddess. Finally, she shook her head very slowly. "No ... thank you, Regina, but ... no. If worst ... comes to worst, then you can still resurrect him, can you not?" A lightning bolt struck very close to the ship and lit up the battle; Akuma had just sent McGrath flying with a circle throw, but McGrath skillfully executed a tech escape and landed safely on the deck.   
  
Regina hesitated before replying. "I could, yes, but ... Samantha, resurrection is no light matter. Still ..." She tilted her head and looked upwards into the cloud-covered sky. She must have seen something, or else heard something inaudible, for after a long and pregnant pause she looked down and nodded. "Very well. If he falls, I will bring him back. His time to pass into the afterlife has not come yet."   
  
"Thank you ... thank you," Samantha whispered, clasping Regina's hand.   
  
McGrath grunted as he pursued Akuma, tracking his dangerous opponent through the torrential rain. He dodged a low-level sweep and jumped into the air, lightning opportunely illuminating the battlefield at that instant. McGrath descended like a falling meteor heelfirst, intending to drive the attack right into Akuma's exposed chest. But Akuma blurred away and the attack hit the deck instead, knocking a hole cleanly through the three-inch wooden boards. McGrath extricated himself just as Akuma's hands cupped together and he launched a blazing fireball. He might have stopped it in midair, but that took some spiritual power, and the more that he could conserve the better his chances were. McGrath rolled out of the way, the rain disorienting him for a moment. Farther back, the powerful fireball hit the golden barrier and washed away harmlessly.   
  
McGrath regained his footing. Akuma circled in, too experienced to go for a straight rushdown. When he struck, it was with the swiftness of a lightning bolt and the ferocity of a tiger; McGrath could feel Akuma's malevolent aura beating against him almost like a physical wave. Almost more quickly than the eye could follow, McGrath blocked the attack and simultaneously countered with a vicious kick. This move Akuma dodged by spinning around and McGrath recovered just in time to block a retaliatory strike that came within an inch of crushing his shoulders. As it was, the attack staggered him. Akuma drove in for a second strike from above. McGrath deflected the attack harmlessly to the side, then seized his opportunity to step back and punch forward. Akuma blocked and countered, blurring out -   
  
No, he didn't! That was no blur, he'd disappeared entirely! For a moment, McGrath's eyes sought frantically before locating Akuma's aura ... above him! Akuma dove down with a lightning swift and merciless chop, striking McGrath heavily between the shoulder blades. At the last moment, the doctor Soul Reversed away the worst of the attack but he staggered nonetheless, dropping to his knees and taking the opportunity to roll away along the slippery deck. It was hard to see anything in the heavy rain, but McGrath knew exactly what had happened. _I've never seen him use that technique before. He must have developed it later ... borrowed from Dadallent, possibly? It does bear an uncanny resemblance to the Ninja Twirl ..._ A dull throbbing pain was spreading along his back and McGrath became grimly aware that he must be suffering internal damage.   
  
"Hang in there, doctor ..." Captain Commando murmured under his breath.   
  
"I can't bear to watch this!" Chan cried above the raging winds, burying her head in Hiryu's shoulder. He reached down and gently stroked her hair, but his eyes were fixed firmly on the battle in front of him.   
  
"C'mon, doctor!" Blake Wallis shouted, jumping wildly around the gold wall like an overenergetic cheerleader. "Kick his sorry ass!" Samantha's eyes concentrated hard on the battle, while Lloyd paced back and forth worried on the quarterdeck of the ship. Regina clung to Gill's arm and wore a look of concern, plainly fearing for McGrath's safety. Gill and Jedah, for their part, remained impassive; as they did not look around, it was easy to tell that both of them were also concerned.   
  
McGrath stood up, assessing his opponent once more. This time there was a small smile on his face, and he was pleased to see that Akuma was also smiling - not a leer, or a taunting grin, but a genuine smile. _Now I understand, Akuma ... what you mean when you talked about the thrill, the excitement, the passion of the fight. This ... this is the intangible but very real anticipation at the thought of facing a worthy opponent. Now I understand. To choose the way of the true warrior is to truly live every moment of your life. And the air that we breathe is sweeter because we are mortal and must one day die, losing everything. So you are alive._ McGrath wondered if he, too, would have chosen to walk the warrior's path if he had known this earlier.   
  
But there was only the here and now. Akuma ate up the distance with a blazingly fast Hurricane Kick. McGrath dodged behind a mast; Akuma's foot struck the wood hard and cracked it, but the attack did not go through. McGrath slid forward with a punch, which Akuma blocked as he came down. They settled into a grim dance, punch, kick, parry, block, riposte attack ... both of them masters of battle, and the dance was eerily beautiful. Though the rain kept the battlefield dark, now lightning was flashing almost constantly. McGrath and Akuma were both soaked to the bone. A terrible gale battered the ship and made the footing unsteady at best. The boom of thunder prevented anyone from hearing the blows being exchanged.   
  
Akuma forced himself to breathe evenly. Breathing was the foundation of one's ability to fight, and someone who couldn't breathe properly was already lost. McGrath nearly swiped out one of his eyes, Akuma only dodging away at the last possible moment; the attack brushed against his cheek. Akuma also struck, a deep vicious attack on McGrath's solar plexus. McGrath blocked and backed away; seeing a chance, Akuma took a running start into two steps and soared into a flying kick, heedless of the rain washing around him. McGrath rolled to the side; Akuma's heel crashed into the main mast and with a terrific crack that was heard even above the storm, the mast broke into two. The enormous upper beam swayed ponderously and was caught by the wind almost immediately, heaving as it tilted. But that could wait. McGrath launched another assault on Akuma and again the two of them were moving with impossible speed as they traded blows.   
  
The huge mast toppled against the golden curtain; since the curtain would not give way, the mast did instead and cracked about halfway down its already severed length. Then both pieces dropped heavily into the main deck, McGrath and Akuma only jumping back at the last moment to avoid them. One piece jammed itself between the shattered stump and the golden veil; the other rolled with the treacherous sea, cloth flapping along its length. The heaving deck made fighting a difficult proposition at best; Akuma contented himself with launching a fireball and then phasing behind it, coming out of his movement right as McGrath neutralized the fireball. The deck suddenly tilted back and McGrath mentally berated the unlucky move; when Akuma struck with a forceful blow, McGrath lacked the leverage necessary to block it. He instead hopped back, but now he was in a bad position, essentially forced to fight an uphill battle.   
  
McGrath traded space for distance, allowing Akuma to gradually press him backwards under a withering barrage of attacks but keeping his opponent at arm's distance. After one particularly nasty encounter, McGrath had scored a solid Hell Press on his opponent at the cost of two heavy punches into his chest. Akuma was down on his knees from the sheer shock of the blow, but he forced himself up in time to meet McGrath's attack. The first punch nearly went wide as the deck heaved, almost throwing McGrath atop Akuma; McGrath aborted the attack and instead somersaulted through the air, landing behind Akuma and delivering a glance knee strike before his opponent could avoid it entirely.   
  
"They're starting to flag," Commando observed. "Let's hope that Akuma has less stamina."   
  
"Don't let that little ..." and Blake unleashed a torrent of abuse and obloquy, shouting unprintable descriptions of Akuma's ancestry, appearance, future prospects, and sexual preferences. "You can do it, doctor! Beat the crap out of him!" He kicked the shimmering gold barrier violently; despite the pain that shot through his leg, Blake continued his spiel unabated.   
  
"We have to get help. Call the IDC soldiers, at the very least." Commando concentrated; when nothing happened after a long pause, he pursed his lips in frustration. "Teleportation is down. This whole setup reeks of a trap by Marin." On the sides, the camera crews apparently still had no luck trying to restore their equipment. Lloyd stalked around on the quarterdeck like a caged panther.   
  
As they watched, the treacherous deck abruptly shifted, nearly throwing everyone into the sea. McGrath, in the middle of a strike, lost his balance and Akuma was upon him in a flash. The Ansatsuken warrior laid into the doctor with a series of powerful attacks, not of all of which McGrath managed to block. Shaking rain - or was it blood? - out of his vision, McGrath finally stopped defending long enough to seize Akuma's shoulders and pulled, hard. The price was heavy, for Akuma's fist crashed into his undefended stomach; however, McGrath's maneuver allowed him to escape from the debilitating position. He was on his feet in an instant, wiping his face clean. Yes, it was blood; even in the relentless rain, there could be no mistaking the color or the stench.   
  
As Akuma returned to renew the attack, McGrath met him halfway and they stood deadlocked on the ship. But now McGrath was definitely moving more slowly; despite the fact that it wasn't by much, still he had lost his parity in tactical speed. Akuma swung around and clipped McGrath on the cheek; McGrath dropped to the rain-soaked floor, hard, and countered with a vicious sweep that Akuma hopped over. This was exactly what McGrath wanted; he alpha canceled the sweep into a Half-Moon Kick with superhuman speed, although his whole body screamed in protest. Both of his feet collided into Akuma's jaw and the Ansatsuken warrior was sent flying backwards for a few meters. Akuma crashed into the golden veil and this time did not regain his feet lightly.   
  
Akuma stood up, steadying himself for a moment as he considered McGrath through slitted eyes. _He's all that I've heard him to be, and more besides. Now you know, Ernest, what it means to live the fight. I am glad that I know you and that I once called you my friend._ McGrath attacked this time, intent on pressing the momentary advantage. Akuma met the attack with a feint, but McGrath was too cautious to fall for the trick. Akuma blurred backwards and released a powerful fireball as he phased into solidness once again, but McGrath had already reacted. Even as the fireball flew from Akuma's hand like a living phoenix, McGrath was no longer there. Instead, he had jumped to the side and rebounded off the deck with a handspring, pushing his whole body behind his retaliatory attack. Akuma blocked but guard crushed anyway and was sent skidding ingloriously down the length of the deck. Lightning flashed in the black sky.   
  
"Yeah, go doctor!" Blake screamed.   
  
"Ernest ..." Samantha whispered. "Dear God, defend him!"   
  
"Watch it," Commando warned. His more experienced eyes had followed the battle closely since it began. "It's not over yet. Soon, maybe ... but not yet. C'mon, take him down - _no!_"   
  
"Eek!" Chan cried. "What happened?!"   
  
As McGrath followed Akuma to the other side of the ship, the dark warrior had begun the fight anew. McGrath knocked aside a straight punch and aimed his Hell Press directly at Akuma's heart; had it landed properly, the battle might have ended right there. But Akuma stepped forward and took the attack before it had covered enough distance to reach full power. It was a staggering blow that would have dropped a rhinoceros dead, but Akuma was no ordinary man. With McGrath's arms committed to his Hell Press, he could not effectively defend against the counterattack. Akuma rent the air with a mighty uppercut, making McGrath nearly double over upon the first impact of his fist. Nor was that all; as Commando and Samantha watched, both horrified, Akuma spun around and rammed his elbow into McGrath's stomach, then came around for another uppercut, and then again. This last sequence sent McGrath tumbling backwards with blood streaming from his mouth, blood that marked a clear trail in spite of the rain.   
  
Amazingly enough McGrath was still in the fight. He crouched on his knees, breathing heavily and gingerly feeling his battered body; Akuma, in the meanwhile, had a fist pressed to his heart. Taking a Hell Press was bad enough, but ignoring it and pushing his body into the Destroyer Dragon Rave was far worse. And while McGrath was bleeding, Akuma was grimly aware that he himself was suffering from internal injuries due to having been hit by three cumulative Hell Presses. This fight had gone on for nearly an hour and would be decided now. In front of him, McGrath broke into a dead run aimed straight at his dangerous opponent.   
  
Akuma intended to intercept the run with an uppercut at the last moment. Not a powerful one - the cooldown of a strong uppercut would leave him open to different attacks if it whiffed - just light enough to stop the attack. But he was appalled when his fist met only empty air, McGrath having skidded almost to a halt. Instantly it was too late; McGrath struck and opened into his Mayhem Rampage, one knife hand chopping hard into Akuma's elbow. Each attack of the Mayhem Rampage, while slow in and of itself, still bore no threat of being stopped. Each strike in the sequence set up the next one, and so McGrath methodically proceeded to demolish Akuma's vitality under a surgically precise barrage of attacks that culminated in a powerful Half-Moon Kick. Akuma flew back, hard; there was a sickening crunch as he collided into the immovable golden barrier and his left arm gave way. Sharp pain lanced up his left side instantly.   
  
Forcing down the pain, Akuma rose to one knee. His left arm was useless now; the bone must have been broken in at least two places. With the discipline that comes from a lifetime of combat, he steadied himself and focused on McGrath, only on McGrath, ignoring everything else. Apparently the attack had taken much out of McGrath also. Akuma focused, concentrating his energy into his right palm. Then, as countless flames began to form around his body, he stomped hard and sank into a horse stance, nearly breaking through the deck with the sheer force of the step. Then he flung out his left arm, unleashing a torrent of pure energy that burned a bright path through the rain-splattered battlefield. More quickly than the eye could follow, the attack rushed straight at McGrath.   
  
Akuma could scarcely believe what his eyes told him next. McGrath had already seen the attack coming, of course, but Akuma had believed that he would not be able to avoid it regardless. So he was shocked and stunned when McGrath broke into a flat-out sprint, the energy of the beam washing through him without effect and flowing harmlessly off the golden curtain far behind. It was incredible, and yet it happened; McGrath ate up the distance between them with impossible speed and a shout that tore through the air, rising above even the fury of the storm.   
  
"_Maximize!_"   
  
Akuma's blood froze; that was the war cry of the legendary MAXIMUM Mayhem Rampage. In an instant, McGrath had dashed right through the beam cannon without letting it touch him, as if it were not there at all, and homed in straight at Akuma. _If he hits me with that technique, it's all over ..._ But there was no time to think and barely any to react; McGrath was nearly there. Akuma braced his body for one last, supreme effort, drawing upon as much of his energy as he dared to fuel his counterattack as the flames from his beam died away. His own warcry thundered through the air as he, too, struck McGrath in the instant that the doctor reached him.   
  
"_Misogi!!!_"   
  
He'd vanished in the very last instant before McGrath struck with the deadly MAXIMUM Mayhem Rampage. McGrath's attack whiffed entirely and he instantly realized his opponent's intentions. But by then it was already too late; Akuma appeared above him and drove his one good arm down with all the force of a falling star, crashing directly into the back of McGrath's exposed neck. Somehow, even then, McGrath managed to Soul Reverse the attack, yet it did him little good. The shock of the strike penetrated his entire body and went through him into the ships. McGrath hit the deck, hard, as the sheer impact of the attack caused the whole top deck to spiderweb into a network of cracks. The fight was knocked out of him. It was over.   
  
"Ernest!" Samantha shrieked.   
  
"No!" Commando cried.   
  
Still conscious, McGrath rolled over to look into Akuma's eyes. The dark Ansatsuken warrior himself could barely stand as it was, but he held his useless left arm with his right as he fixed pitiless eyes on McGrath. The rain spread a soothing sensation over McGrath's body, or was it simply washing him in preparation for death? "It is finished," Akuma rasped, barely audible over the storm. A loud crack interrupted him as the deck splintered and gave way in multiple places. "Any last words?"   
  
"Ernest!" Samantha shouted. "Ernest!" The seas heaved, nearly throwing her off her feet and causing the quarterdeck to split in two. Samantha lost her balance and collided with Lloyd; Regina floated an inch off the deck surface, looking for a entrance through the golden barrier. "No, Ernest!"   
  
McGrath whispered something.   
  
"What?" Akuma demanded, reaching down and grasping McGrath's shirt. A stroke of lightning illuminated his features; there was no mercy in his eyes, but there was a look of deep respect granted only to a worthy opponent whom one has overcome at last. As Akuma seized McGrath by the collar, he suddenly felt energy rush into his body along his arm, as much or even more than he had used to execute his devastating Kon Goku Koretsu Zan. Likewise, it was not friendly energy either. The power exploded and Akuma slumped down without a word next to McGrath.   
  
"Revenge," McGrath whispered, and his eyes closed too.   
  
With an earsplitting roar as though the foundation of the Earth itself had broken open, Ruby Heart's pirate ship cracked along its length and the golden veils vanished into thin air. The left side capsized instantly, spilling the camera crews and others into the cold waters. The right side floundered, but only for a moment; then it too capsized and all were in the Atlantic. Disappearing from the surface with surprising speed, the ship vanished beneath the turbulent waves. For a long moment there was only the toss and fury of the storm; drawing a deep breath, Regina dived into the waters. After an instant, Commando and Strider's heads broke through the surface, dragging a miserable Sakura between them. Soaring twenty feet above them, Chan kept a sharp eye for any movement, not that it was easy to see anything in the terrible weather. A moment later Blake Wallis also surfaced, Lloyd following him.   
  
Gill swam his way to the two _Phantoms_. Regina's head appeared, but she paused only to take a deep breath and dive back down. Samantha tried to follow when she surfaced but her two squadmates pinned her down, shouting at her to stay up. She shouted back orders to let her go and they hung on more tightly. In the end, Gill came over and it took all three of them to keep Samantha afloat while she thrashed wildly in the raging sea. "Call for reinforcements! Here!" Blake shouted above the storm. He let one arm off Samantha and threw an IDC communicator at Commando, but Samantha nearly pulled him down for it. "It's waterproof! Use the preset frequency marked 'BEAT,' and be quick about it!"   
  
Samantha calmed down, her frenzied anxiety gradually giving way to black despair. "Ernest ..." she sobbed, and neither Blake nor Lloyd could tell if it was rain or tears that they saw streaming down her face. "Ernest, please, come back to me alive ..." Jedah and Regina surfaced half a minute later; when the eager look that Samantha sent their way was met by a grim shake of the head by Jedah and a sad one by Regina, the _Phantoms_ saw their leader's heart shatter. Regina calmed the storm with a gesture and with a great display of power brought them out of the water, floating on an invisible curtain of air. Still, it was a cold and wet two hours before the first IDC rescue squads arrived on the scene.   
  
They searched for seven hours, but the body of Dr. Ernest Christopher McGrath was never found. 


	21. A Last Farewell

**A Last Farewell**

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**Author's Notes:** A new soundtrack has been enabled on the website. "Melodies of Life" is the song that Regina sings in this chapter. Find it, as always, in the author's profile link.

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_ Osaka, Japan   
One day has passed _   
  
Gill found Samantha McGrath seated among the pews of an otherwise empty church. It was a magnificent structure built in the style of the West, complete with stained-glass windows, candles, and a marble statue to remind all visitors that the Son of the Almighty had once made the ultimate sacrifice. Samantha's head was bowed and as Gill approached he heard the sound of quiet sobbing. If she detected his approach, she gave no sign of it. Gill was dressed in a fine tuxedo and had come at Blake's request. All silently he seated himself next to her and wordlessly took one of her hands. Still teary-eyed, Samantha looked up at him only after a long pause. "Regina gave her word that she would resurrect Ernest," Samantha sniffled. "Yet now ..."   
  
_"Bring my husband back to me as you promised, Regina!" Samantha cried last night, catching Regina by the shoulders as if she could bring about the miracle by sheer force of will. She sank to her knees and clasped Regina's hands in her own, turning a tearstained face upwards to beg the goddess with all her heart.   
  
"I can't!" Regina cried, and there was broken despair in her voice. She too dropped to her knees on a level with Samantha. "I can't find his soul! It's not on Earth, and it's not in either Heaven or Hell! I want to help you, Samantha, but he's gone! I can do nothing without his soul - oh, what could possibly have happened?!" Samantha had fled weeping, while Blake and Lloyd simply stood, stunned. And then Regina broke down into tears and no amount of words from Commando could comfort her._   
  
Having taken Samantha's left hand in his right, Gill laid his own left hand over hers. Normally so elegant and hauntingly beautiful, Samantha presented a markedly different appearance. Her fine blonde hair hung in disorderly tatters and tear tracks ran freely down her face. Her large green eyes had grown dim and red with incessant weeping. Her clothes, made of velvet, looked at though they had seen much better care. Samantha turned around and let Gill take her into his arms and then she cried into his strong shoulder. He said nothing, only stroking her hair now and then as she sobbed her heart out. Gill's eyes were drawn to the crucifix mounted at the front of the church. _What would You say to Your suffering child, my Lord? This trial is beyond my ability. For so is love revealed: they whom we love the best, leave the greatest emptiness in our hearts when they pass._   
  
Samantha's sobbing gradually gave way to a quiet sniffling before dying off altogether. When she finally looked up, she did not meet Gill's gaze. She was uncomfortably aware of the dark stain on his tuxedo and grateful that he did not hold it against her. She only stared listlessly, looking at nothing in particular, seeing nothing. Then, in a soft voice broken only by the occasional sniffle, she began to tell her story and Gill listened without question or comment.   
  
"I was born the daughter of wealth, prestige, and privilege. I hail from a distinguished line of ancestors who gave their lives to public service. My father and his father both served in the United States Senate for as long as I can remember. My mother served as the Secretary of State for a dozen years. Naturally, I was reared in comfort, growing accustomed to influence and power at an early age. I lived in a mansion near the capital city with servants at my beck and call. As my father and mother rarely made betook themselves to the house, my elder brother and I were raised to be lord and lady of the house. I was instructed by the best of teachers, I was wealthy, I lived a life of luxury and comfort. I wanted for nothing, save only my greatest desire which forever remained above my reach: the love of my parents.   
  
"I now understand that my parents never loved me or my brother. I was but a means to an end, and the end was to secure greater power among the elite circle. My parents had high ambitions and my brother was carefully groomed to one day become President. As for me, I grew in a household devoid of life, raised to be a proper lady and in time a show wife. The servants maintained a polite distance and my instructors an air of cold professionalism. My brother was my only comfort in my childhood years. Ah, David ... you were my best friend, my confidant, and my most loving teacher. He was ... he was the father that I never truly knew. I am not ashamed to admit that I wept freely when he left to enlist with the Army. I said farewell and ... oh, cruel fate! Would that none of this had ever occurred!" Samantha broke into a fresh fit of sobbing that lasted for several awkward minutes.   
  
When she resumed her narrative, it was in a much more steady voice. "My brother had left but for a year when my father announced that he had arranged a marriage for me. I was to wed a gentleman twice my age, so as to join two powerful families in an alliance of blood. For me, this was the final impulse that spurred me to my desperate course of action. I had never known a parent's love. Now, to hear that I was to be given away as though I were a mere possession - I could no longer bear it. God forgive me, that night my father and I nearly came to blows over the decision. When I saw that my parents could not be moved, I resolved to flee. I took but little and embarked on the road, saying my silent farewells to the parents who had never loved me and whom I could not love.   
  
"My first thought was to join my brother in the military, but I was persuaded that such would have been a foolhardy course in the extreme. Thus I kept a low profile, living from one day to the next, seeking shelter where it might be offered, never remaining in one location for much time. I had no friends and no place to name home. So I wandered for a year, sliding ever deeper into the depths of despair. I learned to disguise my identity as the media could not devour enough news of my disappearance. At last agents raised my trail and I realized that my escapade would soon end.   
  
"Then they appeared. To my initial glance, Ernest McGrath and Blake Wallis seemed ordinary enough men. Yet the very first words Ernest spoke pierced me through and I knew that he saw beyond all pretense, all deception. Here was a man who could gaze into the heart of the matter, whatever it might be. He invited me to share my story, sweet man, and I did after much reluctance. He spoke not a word of judgment or condemnation. He did not make me feel guilty, only unconditionally loved. So I shared my sorry tale with him and - God love him for his kindness - he offered me a place with the IDC. I accepted the offer without a second thought; had I known what I was committing myself to, doubtlessly I would have declined and rather taken my chances with my parents.   
  
"The next three years as a _Phantom_ were the most difficult I have ever faced. My spirit broke more times than I can ever recall. Yet here in the IDC I had at last found a brotherhood that would love me and protect me, that would cherish me for the woman I am. Come what may, we would stand together and give our very lives for each other. In the crucibles of suffering and hardship, steel was slowly forged within my spirit and I became a very different woman from the former Samantha Trevors. Ernest proposed to me but a year ago and when I married him I celebrated the happiest, most joyous day I have ever known in my life." Samantha's lips formed a sad smile. "The irony, of course, was that Ernest was nearly twice my age. Still, I loved him ... yes, I loved him so much, and he me ...   
  
"My wedding was the last happy time that I remember, for dark days loomed large on the horizon. It seemed that scarcely had I said my wedding vows before we were involved in one mission after another. The months leading to Operation Judgment were a whirlwind of activity during which Ernest was nearly killed ... I still shudder to think of it. Brave man, he placed himself before a bullet meant for me! He could no longer lead the strike force and gave its command to me, charging me to be a worthy captain. Following Operation Judgment, I thought that perhaps we could enjoy a well-earned respite. Even then, Ernest knew that it would not be so and warned me to be on my guard.   
  
"The success of Operation Judgment brought us into direct conflict with the United States. My father was among the lawmakers who pressed for war. When the War of Ascendancy came, the IDC was well-prepared. May God forgive me, we settled two full armies in a single battle. I led the strike force in that grim conflict and I shall never forget the sight of my brothers in arms falling all about me. I made more than a hundred women into widows that night. We had pressed near to the very headquarters of the American command when a nearby sharpshooter and I sighted each other at the same moment. I was a fraction of a second the swifter. I inspected the corpse and - oh, what have I done? How could this happen? I killed my brother David!" she cried. Samantha wept again; a distant part of Gill wondered how McGrath had reacted when he heard this story. The seraph offered her a tissue and Samantha dabbed at her eyes before resuming her story.   
  
"David ... my brother David, my only friend when I was still Samantha Trevors ... may you find a worthier family in heaven. There, on the battlefield, I wrote a letter to my parents declaring what I had done since I fled the house and spared not a detail. I placed the letter in my dear brother's hands. It was not long following the war that my parents contacted me, as I had requested. We met on neutral ground and there I learned that they had not changed a whit. They blamed me for my brother's death, though no less than I blamed myself. I also learned that they intended to annul my marriage to Ernest and wed me off to the elderly gentleman. When I refused and informed them that I intended to stay with the IDC, they tried to take me by force, having brought an escort of half a dozen soldiers with them. It is to Ernest's credit that he foresaw the very possibility and had earlier placed two squads in ambush around the chateau. When my parents saw that I could not be forced to return with them, they disowned me.   
  
"It has been but half a year and the memory of the war still weighs heavily upon my mind. Here I am, involved in yet another mission scarcely after the war has ended. There is no rest for a soldier except in death ... just as poor Ernest always knew ... Ernest ... if only we had declined to come ... you would be seated beside me, laughing your carefree and generous laugh ..." Samantha sighed and fell silent. Gill reached out and brought an arm around her shoulder; Samantha allowed herself to be drawn into his comforting embrace as she rested her head on his shoulder. She had not known Gill before the tournament, of course, but being near him had a calming effect on her spirit. Gill stroked her hair gently as though she were his own daughter.   
  
"Ernest and I have been good friends for many years," Gill offered at last, causing Samantha to look up at him. "I have known him since he was a young boy, and I have seen him mature into a man. He was aware of my connection with the Illuminati. Many nights he, the seer Rose, and myself would sit around a blazing fireplace with cups of tea in hand. And then we would discuss politics, or philosophy, or history; we would debate the world at large. It was a sad day indeed for me when Ernest chose the IDC above the Illuminati. I assured him that should anything untoward happen, he could always seek refuge with me. I am not at all surprised to see that he fought to the bitter end. He had the courage of a hundred men."   
  
"Who was the Ernest McGrath whom you knew?" Samantha asked quietly.   
  
"He was, above all, a learner who thirsted after knowledge," Gill answered, contemplating the past. "And he once said that the more he learned, the more he realized how little he truly knew. He drove himself to greater heights without mercy. Often he would train for fifteen or sixteen hours a day had he nothing better to do. In hindsight, I am not at all surprised that he should have become as formidable as he did, for he was ever striving to become a better man. But whereas his passion for knowledge was innate, his kindness was acquired only after hardship that would break most men. He might once have walked the path of the true warrior, but he informed me that he had discovered something better. He would fight, he said, to defend the ones whom he loved. That, I believe, was the true source of his strength."   
  
"And you?" Samantha asked softly.   
  
"I fight for a world where fighting is unnecessary. Ernest also believed in my vision - indeed, he offered to assist me. I was sent to this world for this sole purpose, to bring about paradise on Earth, and the Lady Marin granted me some of her power to speed my way. I do not know what she intends, but I have absolute confidence that she means the best. She truly does love humans. I am certain that she is watching over Ernest, wherever he may be." Gill stood up and raised Samantha to her feet, offering an arm to her. She took it and together the two of them slowly exited the chapel.

* * *

_ Suzaku Castle, Japan   
One day has passed _   
  
"Dearly beloved," Gill began in a clear, strong voice, "we are gathered here today to honor a dear friend. Many of you knew Dr. Ernest McGrath as a steadfast and faithful companion. His body rests in ground known only to God, but his spirit is with us today. It is time to say farewell; at the same time, we know that one day we shall be together with him once more." Gill stepped aside from the casket and deferred to Regina. The funeral was a simple affair, an outdoor gathering with all who could attend. Samantha stood in the front row of the assembled mourners. She was dressed entirely in sober black colors, yet even amidst her grief she was still beautiful in a sad and solemn way. A small folding table had been set up next to her. In honor of the deceased, the assembled crowd kept a respectful silence.   
  
Next to Samantha, Captain Commando stood closest to the coffin, having pulled out his best tuxedo for the occasion. Strider Hiryu and Chan Yoruyamatiha flanked him one on either side. Ruby Heart had found a spot directly behind Commando. Sagat and Kirina were present, as was Sakura Kasugano. Mitsukake had also shown up, his height advantage making him quite conspicuous as he stood amongst the three Killer Bees. Darrell had found his place next to Sakura. Edgar and Kikoken had appeared; so had the three American Vigilantes. M. Bison and the other two Shadowlaw lords were also present. In short, just about everyone who hadn't yet disappeared had come. There were also a few unfamiliar faces, including the remaining members of the _Phantom_ strike force. Even Juni and Jill had traveled to be present. Only Guy was still absent, too tied up searching for Haggar to make an appearance.   
  
It was evening and there was not a cloud in sky. The sun painted the whole landscape in brilliant reds and oranges. A slight breeze ruffled the long grass that grew abundantly upon the plateau where McGrath had once indicated he should be buried. The hill overlooked the fortress on the outskirts of the Genbu Plains where McGrath had trained with Gouken and Akuma. Of his immediate family nothing was known. Regina nodded to Jill, who slid behind a keyboard specially set up for the occasion. She found the proper key and ran her hands lightly over the instrument with practiced ease as Regina began to sing. The soft vocals blended perfectly with the keyboard arpeggios.   
  
"Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark   
For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart,   
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain,   
"Melodies of life, love's lost refrain."   
  
As Regina sang, Samantha bit down on her lip while tears welled up unbidden within her eyes. But she would not weep now, not in front of everyone here! She was still the _Phantom_ leader and had to remain brave in the face of everything ... though the words sounded hollow compared against the grim reality of her situation. Ernest, who had always been someone she could lean on for support, was no longer there to guide her. As an IDC soldier, she'd see plenty of death before, of both her friends and her enemies. She'd even caused some of them. Somehow, McGrath's passing was different from all the others ... still impossible to imagine, let alone believe. As Samantha forced back her tears, the steady clop-clop of a horse's stride drew the crowd's eyes to the right for a moment.   
  
"Our paths, they did cross, though I cannot say just why.   
We met, we laughed, we held on fast - and then we said goodbye.   
And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told?   
Let them ring out loud 'til they unfold!"   
  
Dressed in his finest IDC ceremonial uniform, Blake Wallis led a riderless stallion to the coffin. The horse was flanked on either side by Lloyd Cunningham and the BEAT captain. McGrath's boots had been placed backwards in the stirrups and the saddle equipment jingled softly as Blake tugged on the reins. Behind him, Lloyd and BEAT leader marched with clockwork precision, rifles shouldered and uniforms almost gleaming. When Blake reached the casket, Lloyd and BEAT leader split off to form an honor guard stationed one where McGrath's head would have been and one at his feet. The other _Phantoms_ joined them and formed a small perimeter ring.   
  
"In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me.   
Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name!"   
  
Blake led the stallion around the coffin with slow, carefully measured steps ... once ... twice ... by the third circuit, hardly a dry eye could be found amidst the mourners. Even the normally stolid Jedah Dohma seemed affected. When he finished with the third circle, Blake began to lead the horse away. Lloyd and BEAT leader both offered a textbook-perfect IDC style salute. The remaining BEATs then filed in, forming a double line all around the casket. Each of them wore the bright white combat uniform of the BEAT patrol and carried a rifle in hand, contrasting starkly against the midnight-black strike force outfits.   
  
"A voice from the past, joining yours and mine,   
Adding up the layers of harmony ...   
And so it goes on and on: melodies of life   
To the sky beyond the flying birds ... forever and beyond ..."   
  
At a signal from the BEAT captain, the IDC soldiers snapped their rifles into position close to their bodies. BEAT leader raised his hand in a sharp gesture and the soldiers twirled their rifles in a complex and intricate pattern. A second gesture, and the soldiers locked their rifles into firing position. BEAT leader dropped his hand; the soldiers fired. The IDC's Crystal Rifles made no sound, but each barrel let loose a glittering trail of golden dust that arced high over the funeral display. The soldiers fired twice more before shouldering their weapons and standing to attention. Lloyd and BEAT leader then saluted and the soldiers answered the gesture with their own. Nearby, Regina's eyes glistened with unshed tears, yet her voice did not hesitate even the least bit as she sang her heart into the song. Chan wiped her eyes on Hiryu's scarf.   
  
"So far and away, see the bird as it flies by,   
Riding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky.   
I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings.   
Lift them now and see what tomorrow brings!"   
  
Blake reappeared from the side and marched to the coffin, stopping three paces in front of the covered casket. He then offered a military salute before taking an edge of the flag draped over the coffin. This he pulled up and neatly folded, following a complicated series of movements. When the flag was about half-collected, Blake straightened and saluted again. He then took Lloyd's place by the casket as the other _Phantom_ ran through the remainder of the procedure and efficiently folded the battle flag into a small, square bundle. Blake and Lloyd laid McGrath's various medals upon the flag where they glimmered in the light of the setting sun. Farther back in the crowd, Sakura was weeping freely and Gouken made no effort to check the tears streaming down his face.   
  
"In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me?   
Was it fate that brought us close and now leaves me behind?"   
  
Blake, Lloyd, and the other _Phantoms_ now approached Samantha with their bundles. As his closest friend and nearest relation in the IDC, Samantha would inherit McGrath's possessions. Blake carried the flag with its attendant medals and solemnly laid them in Samantha's hands. She clasped the folded flag to her breast for a moment before setting it aside on the table, medals tinkling. Next, Lloyd stepped forward as Blake resumed his guarding position around the coffin. Lloyd presented McGrath's weapon, a well-worn and faithful C-10 Crystal Rifle that he had used for over ten years. The next member down handed over McGrath's uniform with his boots stacked on top of the fabric, the entire outfit newly cleaned.   
  
"A voice from the past, joining yours and mine,   
Adding up the layers of harmony ...   
And so it goes, on and on: melodies of life,   
To the sky beyond the flying birds ... forever and beyond ..."   
  
Samantha finished receiving McGrath's possessions, whereupon Blake and Lloyd led her directly to the coffin. As Regina sang in the evening air, Samantha kneeled down to where McGrath's head should have laid and there she offered a short prayer for him. She ran her hands slowly and lightly over the unforgiving surface of the coffin, tracing out the place where he would have rested. Then she bent over and in the tradition of IDC soldiers who had lost a loved one, placed a kiss on the casket. She closed her eyes for a brief moment as she did so, then stood up straight and turned to face the crowd. Samantha did not look back until she took her place again, escorted by Blake and Lloyd.   
  
"And if I should leave this lonely world behind,   
Your voice will still remember our melody.   
Now I know we'll carry on: melodies of life,   
Come circle 'round and grow deep in our hearts   
As long as we remember."   
  
Regina held her voice beautifully up to the very last note before letting it sink out of hearing. Jill continued playing until she drew the song to its conclusion; by this time, every mourner present was either weeping freely or choking back tears. Regina walked past the casket as she took her place amongst the crowd, murmuring, "May peace find you wherever you are, Ernest McGrath. You've earned it." She brushed a tear away from her cheek. The BEAT escort stood aside a little as the honorary pallbearers came by. Blake and Lloyd took a position at their head; meanwhile, Ryu, Ken, Zeku, and Captain Commando filed down either side. At a nod from Blake, the six pallbearers reached down and picked up the casket. As they bore it through the crowd and to his chosen resting place, many of the assembled reached out to touch the coffin. The BEAT escort filed alongside the small cavalcade, their white uniforms standing out uncomfortably against the black of the crowd. Gill stood out to deliver the eulogy and waited until the coffin had passed before speaking. All eyes turned to him.   
  
"Ernest McGrath was a friend of mine," Gill told the crowd, "and it is my greatest honor to be able to say this. When the threat of the United Front arose, Ernest was the man who made possible its downfall. When the Russian diplomats were taken hostage at Cairo, it was Ernest who led the rescue mission that set them free. When the War of Ascendancy broke out, it was Ernest's leadership that helped saved the IDC's Fifth Army from destruction. He was the greatest soldier the IDC has ever seen. He was the most zealous in his endless quest for knowledge. In strength of character he had no peer, for his spirit was refined in the forge of sorrow and suffering. He fought not for himself but for others. He was the best and there is none better.   
  
"It is to we the living that he has laid a final challenge. The most fitting tribute, perhaps, to offer such a man is not to speak his praises - they declare themselves - but to pursue his excellent standards. He was always striving to better himself and he has left that shining example to us. Now the decision is ours. Will we be content to remain as we are? Or will we follow the path that he has shown and also dedicate ourselves to improvement - both of self and of the world? Do not weep or wear a sad countenance; Ernest would have none of that. Know this: so long as his memory and his example remain with us, no man can say that Ernest McGrath has truly passed away!"   
  
Several hours later, when the last rays of the sun had long vanished and the earth had been piled over McGrath's grave, Regina found Blake and Lloyd alone in the hotel lounge engaged in a game of chess. They looked a bit ragged but otherwise none the worse for wear. Both of them had changed out of uniform - T-shirt and jeans for Blake, trench coat and khakis for Lloyd. To his credit, Blake's dragon-style defense was holding up well under a withering assault by Lloyd's white pieces. When Blake tried to sneak one of Lloyd's pieces off the board, the British man caught his arm and Blake sheepishly gave the pawn back. "Aren't you worried about Samantha?" Regina asked after a moment. She seated herself on the thick carpet by the glass table where Blake and Lloyd waged their miniature war.   
  
"She'll come around eventually," Blake answered. "It's not like we haven't lost people before - Wildwind, Redrider, Scorpion, Crescent ... and now Starcrash. It's what McGrath used to tell us: you say your goodbyes and keep going, because life goes on. Samantha will recover." Part of him wondered why Regina had asked of their concern for Samantha rather than McGrath, but for all practical purposes they had already given him up for lost. Still, hadn't Keith Carter-Jones gone missing after the War of Ascendancy, only to show up a month later at headquarters none the worse for having lived off the wilderness?   
  
"Regina," Lloyd asked, "were you ever married?"   
  
Regina nodded. "Once. I visited a young Dacian man who was down on his luck. I asked him what would make him happy, and he said that he would want to be with a girl like me. And so I married him. We had six children; those were happy times that I still fondly look back upon. He was a good man and I asked the Almighty to reserve a special place for him in Heaven."   
  
"Let me get this straight," Blake cut in, at the same time neatly knocking a pawn off the board with his light-squared bishop. "You got married, just like this?" He snapped his fingers for emphasis as he stared at Regina. Lloyd stared too.   
  
"Well, of course," Regina replied, talking as if it were an everyday occurrence.   
  
"But ... you _married_ him!" Blake exclaimed. "And just because he was having a bad day? Would you marry me if I asked you?"   
  
"I might," Regina answered gravely. "Think: you humans are given the gift of mortality and so you lead brief lives on this world, often full of bitterness. It is because humans are mortal that they are driven to experience far more than their short lives could ever hold. I, on the other hand, am immortal. When you see the world as I do, then you realize: what is fifty, a hundred years more or less? It is life, not time, that counts. Happiness ... that is the important part. I made my husband happy and so I consider my time well spent."   
  
Blake arched an eyebrow, then shrugged as if you convey the feeling of _If you say so._ He frowned as he returned to studying the board where Lloyd was threatening an unveiling attack on his king. Lloyd, meanwhile, posed another question. "Then your children are demigods upon that world?"   
  
Regina shook her head. "No. Although I am a goddess, while I wear this human form I cannot pass my divinity on to my children. If you and I, for example, were to have a child, he would be entirely human and possess none of my power. Only a child born in spirit form can inherit divinity. My sister Marin also had mortal children whom she loved very much."   
  
Lloyd swept Blake's knight off the board and the younger man's defense collapsed. "Then you understand what anguish must be in Samantha's heart. No doubt you also buried your own husband."   
  
"I did, but I didn't grieve for him," Regina answered. Blake shifted a pawn on the board. "Life does not end when a person leaves his body. I see the physical world and the spiritual world through the same set of eyes; to me, death is only a transition from one world to another." Lloyd advanced his rook and Blake tipped over his king in acknowledgement of defeat. "So take this promise with you: one day you will be together with Ernest again. Although I can't find his soul, he hasn't died yet. I am told that his time has not yet come. I believe that he will return."

* * *

_ Suzaku Castle, Japan   
Four hours have passed _   
  
The moon rose high into the heavens that night, illuminating all of the world with its soft, shimmering light. Gouken's grave on the summit of the mountain, now empty, gleamed in the radiance. Much farther down, the castle loomed forbiddingly in the darkness mixed with light. The soft rays of the moon slid on farther to illuminate McGrath's newly dug grave and its simple headstone. Had anyone been watching, though no one did, they might have seen a tree standing suspiciously close to the grave. Of course, it wasn't a tree, though the moonlight gave poor indication as to what it might have been. It remained motionless for most of the night as the moon wended its stately, graceful course among the stars of the sky.   
  
Finally Dadallent turned his face to the ground to consider the earth. Slowly he stepped around the grave of the fallen soldier and perhaps a keen observer would have seen in his regal stride a glimpse of the great prince Dadallent had once been. He gently turned over a clod of the earth with his booted foot. Then he shook his head and began to speak. "I know you too well. You are not dead. You are merely lost. For a certainty ... you would not allow yourself to be killed. The Master of the Fist also lives. I sense his spirit; though it is far away now, yet it shines invisibly in the unseen world. But he is greatly weakened and can be of no assistance in the upcoming conflict.   
  
"My only friend ... my greatest enemy ... my one true rival ... I had high hopes that you could free me from my curse. Find your way as I shall find mine. When you return, I will be waiting for you. For the sake of honor, I will watch what you now cannot and I will take your mission upon myself. Until we meet again ... my life to you, Ernest McGrath." Dadallent bowed to the headstone, a slow, deep bow of ultimate respect. He drew the Psychisaber with nary a sound and placed the coldly gleaming blade to his palm, his fingers brushing against the hilt. Slowly, very deliberately, he closed his right hand around the fearsome weapon until blood ran in rivers down the blade. The blood trickled to the tip of the short sword and dripped to the ground at Dadallent's feet, and the pact was sealed. 


	22. Match XXIII: World Warrior Team vs Lords...

**Match II-III: World Warrior Team vs. Lords of Shadowlaw**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Tournament bracket's been updated again to reflect all the changes that have occurred.   
  
**Chan Yoruyamatiha:** I'm glad that the story managed to affect you so deeply, since it means that I'm doing my job as an author effectively. However, you usually look pretty stupid to begin with. Just kidding, just kidding!

* * *

_ Black Forest, Germany   
Two days have passed _   
  
"Ya think he'll make us sit this fight out, too?" Balrog asked his teammate Vega as the two of them strode into a clearing in the forest. The Black Forest of Germany was so named for the heavy pall of enchantment that rested upon its every leaf. As forests go, it was not a particularly thick one. The battleground had been marked out in a large clearing, but grass and the occasional pine cone still appeared abundantly underfoot. Replacement camera crews worked on the sidelines, and with Alia out of commission Jin Saotome had appeared to act as the roving correspondent. On the other side of the field, Ryu, Sagat, and Kirina were deep in discussion.   
  
Vega shrugged indifferently. "We could've stayed in bed for the last fight. Let's see what the boss has planned for us today."   
  
Bison was waiting for them at their end of the battlefield, shrouded in his big cape and studying the other team with cold, glittering eyes. Vega and Balrog saluted respectfully; a long silence ensued, until Bison finally said, "I have decided on the order. Vega, you start. Balrog comes next and I'll bat cleanup." So saying, Bison threw his billowing cape behind and stalked off to speak with Jin. As his footsteps receded, Vega and Balrog were left looking at each other (the sight offended Vega's aesthetic sense).   
  
"Bat cleanup? I don't understand," Vega said, and Balrog had to explain the term. Vega shrugged and stretched. Then he brightened and added, "But, we did manage to kidnap that Kikoken girl after the funeral ended. Caught her right as she was getting off the airplane. Bison's going to drain her power and then she'll be mine - all mine!" He rubbed his hands in glee.   
  
"I heard about the op," Balrog answered. "Nice job your boys pulled, nabbing the girl at the airport." He and Vega shared a heartless laugh before the former pulled away to walk to the center of the battlefield, where his opponent was waiting for him. Balrog took his place on the sidelines by M. Bison.   
  
Far away in Osaka, Kyosuke Kagami wetted his lips and pasted a smile onto his face as the cameras began to roll. "Good evening, everybody, and welcome back to Osaka Dome where today's World Collision match is set to begin! We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the last match; according to IDC reports, after the equipment was knocked out Ruby Heart's ship actually capsized. Most of our camera crews were lost, as was our battlefield reporter Alia. My colleague Jin Saotome will be substituting for her for the remainder of the matches.   
  
"Also at this time I have grim news to report. Single entry Ernest McGrath was attacked upon the battlefield by none other than Akuma," and Akuma's image appeared on the holoprojector with a list of his vital statistics and background. "From all reports, the battle lasted over an hour and ended with the two of them sinking together into the Atlantic. No record of the battle itself exists, but multiple contestants present at the battle give reports that are in agreement. With McGrath's elimination, the _Phantoms_ are proceeding directly to the next round. This is a truly tragic development for the tournament although the contestants are bearing the misfortune remarkably well. Today's match is hosted in the Black Forest of Germany. Let's head over to Jin; Jin, how's everything holding up in Germany?"   
  
"Excellent!" Jin screamed back; his voice blasted through the stadium's massive speakers and nearly deafened Kyosuke. Jin thrust himself right into the camera and his contorted face continued to shout as it filled the entire holoprojector. Nearby technicians scrambled to diminish the volume control. "This match is what I'm talking about! Bison against Ryu! Kirina against Vega! The whole lot!"   
  
"Uh, okay, thanks, Jin," Kyosuke replied as he rubbed his ears. "There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Today's match features two strong teams, the World Warrior Team facing off against the Lords of Shadowlaw. On the World Warrior side, the lineup is Sagat, Kirina, and finally Ryu, in that order. On the Shadowlaw side, the lineup looks to be Vega, Balrog, and Bison finishing the roster. Let's take a closer look at the field where the match is about to begin ..."   
  
As Ryu and Kirina stretched along the side of the field, Sagat stared down from his impressive height at Vega. "It's been forever," he rumbled.   
  
"True," Vega agreed casually, "and nothing has changed."   
  
"I have learned much in ten years, have you?"   
  
"Of course!" Vega exclaimed. "Strength, beauty, skill, beauty, speed, beauty, style, beauty, wit, beauty, modesty, beauty - I know for a certainty that I have no equal in any of these traits. Oh, and don't forget beauty." From the Shadowlaw side of the field, Balrog suddenly coughed continuously and an attentive listener could hear the word "fag" repeated.   
  
"I'm talking to a wall," Sagat muttered. "You haven't changed a bit ..."   
  
_Begin!_   
  
The bright light flashed and Vega, whose eyes were better shielded, lunged forward with a claw swipe. Sagat instinctively dodged to the right and the Spanish fighter's claws raked through empty space. Then the Muay Thai fighter was striking back, rushing forward with a heavy knee strike. This move caught Vega right underneath the chin with a glancing blow, enough to stuff the next attack but not quite sufficient to deal out any lasting damage. Vega rolled along the ground and unfurled, intending to sweep away Sagat's ankles, only that the Muay Thai fighter was no longer there. Sagat dodged to the side and Kirina flew through the space he cleared with a Sniping Arrow. This Vega managed to dodge, at the cost of losing his offensive opportunities as Sagat closed the distance down on him.   
  
"I'd say that this matchup favors the World Warrior team," Kyosuke observed from his post in Osaka stadium. "If we could display the profiles, please?" On cue, the massive holoprojector blinked away from the ongoing battle to refocus on the biographies of the individual fighters. "On the World Warrior side, you have two strong fighters with a moderately skilled one sandwiched in between them. So far Kirina hasn't yet proved her worth on the team, but it's only been a single fight so far and we may yet see some unexpected surprises. On the other side of the matchup, M. Bison is the single strongest fighter in this tournament who is on a team. However, even he wouldn't stand much of a chance if he had to face the World Warriors alone - which, it seems like he'll try to do. And then there's the consideration that Vega and Kirina are roughly the same level in ability, while Balrog barely factors into the calculations at all. Also, as a team the World Warriors have so far showed much more coherent teamwork than Shadowlaw's practically nonexistent level of cooperation. Let's take a look in the field. Jin?"   
  
"- and beating the stuffing out of Vega!" Jin was screaming.   
  
Which he was. Sagat nailed Vega under the chin with a vicious Tiger Blow and sent the Spanish fighter careening off the side. Balrog entered belatedly for a rushing punch, but this Sagat stuffed with a high Tiger Shot that hit Balrog point-blank in the face. When Vega tried to clear some distance between himself and Sagat, the Muay Thai emperor chased him ruthlessly around the battlefield, at the same time using Kirina's assists to strategically lock down Vega's routes of escape. Farther back on the sidelines, Jin was dancing up and down in rage as Balrog nursed a bruised head and Bison yawned indifferently. Sagat finally caught up to Vega and planted a pair of solid kicks in his opponent's torso at the cost of a slash across his chest.   
  
Staggering and fighting to maintain what little he had left, Vega could only retreat before his foe. When Sagat feinted to the right, Vega saw his opportunity and rushed in with claw gleaming, aiming a strike straight at Sagat's chest. He paid for his rashness a moment later when Sagat spun around in place, letting the swipe glide harmlessly off his back, and lunged with a number of spinning kicks that battered into Vega. Right as the Tiger Knee was about to go into its deadly ending kick, however, Sagat took advantage of the delayed combo rule and tagged out.   
  
He was instantly replaced by Kirina, who continued the assault from before. "Fatal -!" she cried, and she laid into Vega with a series of powerful attacks. There was a particularly loud crack as Vega's ribs gave way under a massive blow. With that, Kirina rammed her back fist into Vega's stomach and he doubled over. Kirina followed the attack with a flying uppercut with her forward fist, shouting, "- Dragon Kiss!" At the height of her jump she halted and brought her leg around in a wide, sweeping arc, planting the heel firmly into Vega's stomach. The Spanish fighter crashed heavily into the ground and remained motionless.   
  
Kirina landed lightly on the ground just as the required three-second delay ended and she stood up, bracing herself for the next opponent. Balrog charged in without any preliminaries and rushed Kirina with a powerful straight jab. As he covered the distance between himself and his opponent, he ran straight into Ryu's Hadouken, followed a moment later by Kirina's. Balrog shook his head clear - he hated projectiles - and signaled Bison for an assist. Bison, for his part, merely took off his cap and straightened out his hair. Kirina lashed out at Balrog with a low-lying kick which the boxer failed to anticipate and he was laid flat on the ground. Balrog was about to protest before remembering that in the World Collision tournament, there was no rule against under-the-belt blows.   
  
Balrog rushed forward again, but this time Kirina had a different surprise in store for him. Though his initial punch missed, he managed to clip her with his elbow as he went past. Kirina lashed back with a jab that she linked into an elbow strike and then a crouching uppercut. As Balrog went off the ground, Kirina switched out and Ryu lunged in with a powerful jumping kick. Balrog again went spinning head over heels. Ryu followed the attack with a long-range Hadouken while calling in Sagat for an extra assist. Balrog also signaled Bison for an assist, but the lord of Shadowlaw simply straightened his collar.   
  
Balrog closed in, more warily this time. He and Ryu traded half a dozen blows, then he seemed to find what he was looking for. Balrog suddenly rushed forward, covering the three meters between him and Ryu with surprising speed, at the same time yelling, "No escape!" Ryu went into a crouch and Balrog zoomed towards him, aiming the first in a deadly barrage of punches ...   
  
... only that they never came out. As Balrog emerged practically atop Ryu, the latter came off the ground with devastating speed and unequaled power, his clenched fist ramming cruelly into Balrog's stomach with all the force of a hurricane. "Shin -!" The other fist came around as Ryu spun his entire body, putting all the force he could muster into the attack. Balrog's jaw broke cleanly under the impact of the attack. But that wasn't all; Ryu made a third and final spin, coming off the ground with a mighty soaring uppercut. "Shoryuken!" Balrog landed like a sack of grain, all the fight knocked out of him.   
  
Bison entered with a sigh, shaking his head in disappointment. The old Bison might have trash-talked Ryu or gloated about seeing the latter endure a horrible demise, but this time Bison was all business. Nor was the matchup as one-sided as it might have been in the past. Last time the two had met, Bison had owned Ryu without even raising his heartbeat. But that was ten years ago; the current Bison was weaker and Ryu much stronger. Naturally the lord of Shadowlaw approached his opponent with considerable caution and the two old enemies circled each other warily.   
  
Ryu moved first, launching a hop-kick at Bison. Bison knocked Ryu to the side and Ryu rolled away, coming up to stop a retaliatory kick with a swift Hadouken. Sagat launched an extra projectile from the sidelines, providing Ryu with effective cover fire as he fought with Bison. They traded another half dozen blows and Ryu landed a strong side kick as Bison rapped him hard under the chin with a Psycho Power enhanced swipe. When Ryu whiffed a Shoryuken, Bison warped slightly behind him and caught him as he came down. Sagat launched a Tiger Shot for cover, but Bison had Ryu by the shoulders and kicked out his forward leg. He then spun around and caught Ryu under the chin, hurling him backwards with a single mighty heave. Ryu crashed to the ground and grimaced; he hadn't known that Samantha McGrath wasn't the only fighter who could execute the Scissor leg throw.   
  
Bison warped in, but Ryu took the opportunity to tag out with Sagat. The Muay Thai fighter blocked Bison's first Scissor Kick and signaled Kirina for an assist. When Bison dodged around the attack, Sagat swung around with a heavy kick. Bison took the attack but flipped and vaulted over Sagat's leg like a bar. Still, if Bison reacted quickly, so did Sagat; the emperor avoided a retaliatory stomp by jumping backwards and threw a swift kick. Bison blocked the attack, but only for a moment. Then he crouched, swept Sagat's leg aside, and hammered back at his opponent with a brutally swift Scissor Kick. "Alpha counter!" Jin raved. "Kick his ass, Bison!"   
  
Sagat knocked Bison into the air with a powerful uppercut; without allowing his own feet to leave the ground, Sagat tagged out and Kirina jumped in. "Now the World Warrior team is really starting to press its advantage in numbers," Kyosuke drawled. "Bison could probably take any of them alone, but in a three-to-one fight he'll soon feel the heat. He's probably regretting how he expended his teammates so quickly. Seems like he's trying to play the same game with Kirina that he did with the Killer Bees, but Kirina is having none of it. Ooh, great counterattack by Kirina right as Bison came out of a warp. Here comes Bison with a flying head stomp - no, wait, countered by the Thrust Kick. Oh, midair recovery! Kirina is flat-footed - c'mon, recover - oh, and Kirina takes a Scissor Kick straight into the face! Ouch, she's gonna have the imprint of a boot on her cheeks after that one!"   
  
Wiping away a trickle of blood from her mouth, Kirina smiled grimly at Bison. _He's still as good as mother always said he was. I know I can't defeat him alone, only I'm not alone. One mistake, Bison - just one mistake, that's all I need._ A moment later, Kirina's wish came true as Bison warped backwards and cupped his hands, forming a fireball in his palms. Kirina locked her palms together in a classic fireball stance, set her heels into the grass, and braced herself. "Let's do it!"   
  
"I'm with you!" Ryu called as he leapt in behind her, locking his hands to the sides of Kirina's. Together they formed a four-handed arrangement that oddly resembled a flower petal.   
  
"Here we go!" Sagat appeared behind Ryu and extended both arms, fists clenched and held tightly against the center palm array.   
  
"Obliterate!" they cried together as a small but incredibly bright sphere formed out of their arms. It must have measured only three or four inches in diameter, yet it shone like a miniature sun, perhaps nearly as bright as the light that signaled the start of a battle. This sphere shot forward as though it had been fired from a cannon, swallowing up Bison's Psycho shot. The lord of Shadowlaw brought his arms into a blocking posture right as the attack connected. There was an enormous blast as though the earth itself had been shaken loose and the ground trembled, throwing cameras left and right. Kirina staggered and dropped back into Ryu's arms, while Ryu himself had to be braced by Sagat. When the smoke cleared, Bison was stretched out along a massive blackened crater, clearly unconscious.   
  
Kyosuke whistled in amazement. "Did you see that, ladies and gentlemen?" he cried. "The World Warrior team knocked Bison out with a single attack! Absolutely incredible!"   
  
Gill and Jedah held a hurried discussion, then strode over to where the three World Warriors were waiting. All three wore satisfied smiles, and Sagat was congratulating Kirina while Ryu fixed an amused gaze on Jin, who was practically pulling cartwheels on the sidelines. Jedah spoke first. "World Warrior team, strictly speaking, that last attack you used is prohibited under the rules. Please recall that only the tactical leader - in this case, Sagat - is allowed to initiate a team super attack. What you did was a violation of the rules."   
  
"Which means?" a dismayed Kirina wanted to know.   
  
"We are still counting this victory," Jedah replied. Before the team could cheer, however, Jedah forged ahead. "However, there will be a penalty imposed on your next match. For your next match, you will not be allowed to use normal assists. Remember, three violations of the rules will result in instant disqualification of your team." Jedah brought his hands out of his pockets and raised his voice for the cameras. "Well, now that we have resolved that distasteful business ... presenting the winners of Match II-III, the World Warrior team!"

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Four hours have passed _   
  
Cammy White and Captain Commando were seated over a chessboard when Ryu, Ken, and Gouken entered the lounge. Farther back in the corner, Kirina sat polishing her sword with a cloth. Regina hummed a tune to herself as she knitted together yet another sweater; Gill occupied another corner, reading a highly abstract book on theoretical physics. Commando looked up and was about to greet the newcomers, only the words died halfway out and he instead asked, "What happened?"   
  
"Cody is missing," Ken Masters informed him grimly.   
  
"Oh no!" Regina gasped as she dropped her needles with a clatter.   
  
"When? What happened? When did you learn this?" Commando wanted to know.   
  
Ken held up his hands defensively. "Lloyd says that he disappeared during our match. The IDC soldiers tagged his uniform with tracers, but they suddenly stopped responding during the match. The IDC is going over the surveillance now, but it's not good. Cody wasn't seen leaving the prison. There's a camera specially trained on his cell, but it was knocked out for half a minute and when it came back on the cell was completely empty." Ken shrugged. "Go figure."   
  
"And Guy?" Cammy asked anxiously.   
  
"He's working the case with a few agents that the IDC dispatched, but Guy is very harassed right now. Having to look for both Haggar and Cody, as well as trying to comfort Jessica ..." Ken plopped down on a couch. "On the flip side, we do have some good news. An IDC report just came in an hour ago - IDC commandos raided Shadowlaw's Thailand base and succeeded in disabling much of it, including the Psycho Drive. There were rumors that Kikoken had been kidnapped by Shadowlaw, but she wasn't at the base. The IDC is now sending in a regular field army to mop up what's left. About time, I say." Ken straightened and brushed his hair to the side.   
  
"Speaking of which, where are the lords of Shadowlaw?" Cammy asked.   
  
"Well, Vega's on his way back to Spain by now," Commando notified her. "I haven't heard a word about Balrog. Bison ... is still recovering in the hospital."   
  
"Oh dear," Regina breathed. "I should go and heal him -"   
  
"Don't trouble yourself," Cammy interrupted quickly. She tilted over her king. "I'm conceding the match to you, captain. I should visit Sir Bison before the day is out. If you'll excuse me ..." So saying, Cammy gathered her purse and gracefully exited the room.   
  
When her footsteps had receded down the hall, Commando replaced the chessmen in their proper starting positions and looked at Ken. "Okay, you can spill it now."   
  
"The situation's worse than I expected," Ken replied heavily. "I didn't want to worry Cammy, but captain, people are vanishing left and right. Not only is Cody gone, but so are Darrell Markis, Jill Valentine, Kenneth Feng, and Alex. Worse, all of their tracers stopped responding within a fifteen minute time frame, during the match. The BEAT squads assigned to look over them are either missing or can't remember anything that happened when their wards disappeared." Regina gasped in horror from the side. "You think this is a coincidence, captain?"   
  
"Maybe I would if I believed in them," Commando answered. "Samantha turned over Dr. McGrath's investigation of the vanishings to me. At first I was convinced that Shadowlaw was kidnapping the contestants, but ..." Commando sighed. "McGrath's evidence points to no clear perpetrator. I've looked over all of his notes, but he never jotted down his suspicions. I can only look over the evidence and try to draw my own conclusions. All I remember is that prior to his match, he -" Commando's head snapped up. "Of course, he was talking to Sakura about the disappearances! Does anyone know where she is?"   
  
Regina indicated the ceiling with her eyes. "She's in her room."   
  
"I'll go fetch her," Ken offered.   
  
"Try not to break the news about Darrell until we've had a chance to talk," Commando advised. "I'll be waiting for you in here. Let me go get McGrath's investigation notes first." They left the lounge, Ken going in one direction and Commando in another. Commando returned first, carrying five oversized binders in his hands and with an extra pen in his shirt pocket. "Okay," he announced, setting down the binders on a nearby table, "whenever he's ready."   
  
Meanwhile, as Ken went to call on Sakura's room, Cammy stopped by the Osaka hospital and explained to the receptionist that she was here to see one of the patients. An attendant led her through bright, spit-polished corridors to Bison's room and left her inside alone with the patient. When the nurse had left, Cammy stared out of emotionless eyes at the still, unconscious form of M. Bison. He was still knocked out cold from the team-up attack that the World Warriors had used, his trademark Shadowlaw cap with its winged skull insignia placed on a tray by the bedside. There were no IVs attached to his body, but Bison looked quite battered regardless. His short black hair was in total disarray. It was easily apparent to any observer that he needed rest, and lots of it.   
  
Cammy reached into her purse and brought out a small syringe. She attached a clear vial of liquid to it and slowly filled the needle with a small dose of her potion. Cammy replaced the vial into her purse, then carefully walked around the cot to stand beside Bison with the needle in hand. She sniffed quietly, but her voice was hard. "Sir Bison ... you were my hero. Juni, Juli, myself - everyone, in fact - we all adored you. But you turned on us and threw us away ... ordered us to kill ourselves. It's too late for regrets now. Goodbye, Sir Bison. It was fun while it lasted, but I hope you repent in the afterlife." Cammy held up the needle and passed it to her other hand as she gently lifted a corner of the blanket. It was really a simple solution to concoct, but it would cause a heart attack in Bison before dissolving away into his bloodstream.   
  
Cammy located a good vein, but before she could place the needle her cell phone suddenly rang. Cursing profusely at the interruption, Cammy stowed her syringe on the nearby tabletop where it blended innocently enough with the other equipment. She then pulled out her phone and stepped into the next room connected to Bison's quarters. It was empty and Cammy answered the call. "Hello?"   
  
"Hi, Cammy, this is Juni calling as usual," the voice on the other end replied. "It's noontime here in the States. How's it going over on your side?"   
  
"A little busy, Juni," Cammy replied straightly. "Ken just reported that Cody had vanished. And you?"   
  
"Hectic on my side." There was a short pause before Juni continued, "So Cody's gotten caught too, huh? I don't know exactly what happened, but the IDC just assigned a full team of BEATs to me an hour ago. They all look so tense. You want to talk with their captain, Cammy? No? Okay - hey, he's sleeping on the job! Get up, dude!" Through the phone, Cammy heard a sound that could only mean that Juni had kicked the offending person in question. "He must be really exhausted, even a kick couldn't wake him. Well, sorry to ramble, is there anything you want to say?"   
  
"Well, there is something I'd like to ask you, Juni," Cammy replied. "How do you feel about Sir Bison?"   
  
There was a short pause on the other end before the reply came. "To be honest, I'm not really sure," Juni answered. "Part of me still wants to look up to him, but ... I suppose that isn't possible anymore. At any rate, he's gone his way and I've gone mine. I still wonder if things would have turned out differently if ..." Something chimed in the background. "Excuse me, Cammy, there's somebody at the door. Hold on a moment, please."   
  
"Take your time." Cammy leaned against the wall as Juni set the phone down and went to answer the door. Apparently Juni had been using the phone close to her front hall, for Cammy could hear her friend clearly enough through the her cell phone.   
  
"Hello," Juni called as she swung the door open. "Eh, is anybody there? Hello?" Without warning, Juni's voice turned to panic as she screamed, "What the -! Noooo! Heeeeeelp -!" The shriek abruptly cut off, leaving behind only a pregnant silence. Cammy bolted upright and shouted Juni's name through the cell phone, but received no response after a whole minute. Cursing profusely, Cammy shut her cell phone off and bolted from the room, all thought of assassinating Bison driven from her mind. _Hang on, Juni, I'm coming!_   
  
But she skidded to a halt right after barging into Bison's room. It was still occupied, only not by Bison. His signature Shadowlaw cap lay very still on the nearby tabletop, but his cot was empty. The blankets lay in disarray as though he had fallen out of the cot and made a hasty exit. On the far side of the room a shadow flitted whom Cammy couldn't quite distinguish. "Who's there?!"   
  
At the very same moment, Ken rapped on Sakura's room door and it gave way under his knuckles. He peeked in discreetly but saw no one. Ken swung the door open, glancing around the room for any telltale signs of Sakura. _Huh, where is she? Everything's in place. Doesn't look like she left in a hurry or anything like that._ "Yo, Sakura, are you there? Commando wants to talk with you." When only silence met the inquiry, Ken cautiously edged to the bathroom door. It was closed and he knocked softly, but no response came. Steeling himself, Ken closed his eyes and turned the doorknob. When he dared look, he saw no one inside. _That's strange. It's unlike Sakura to leave a room without securing the door first. She must be down at the mall again._   
  
Ken turned to leave, but as he did he saw that the room wasn't empty after all. There was another woman there, not Sakura, and she sat on the edge of the bed with her legs demurely crossed, her hands on her knees. A beautiful twin-bladed quarterstaff lay at her feet, a weapon that shone with all the thousand colors of the rainbow. Her eyes were closed and she did not seem to notice him, but Ken instinctively went on guard. How had she managed to slip in without a sound? And more disturbing, why did he fail entirely to sense her aura? Slightly put off, Ken demanded, "Do you know where Sakura is? Just who are you?" Yet even as he asked that question, he suddenly realized that he recognized her after all.   
  
The answer came back in three odd words and Ken Masters screamed as his soul was forcibly imprisoned. "Fin d'Âme Interdite!" 


	23. Match XXIV: Dadallent vs the American Vi...

**Match 2-4: Dadallent vs. the American Vigilantes**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Three new arts (Strider, Kirina, and Cranky) have been added to the website. They'd look better if they hadn't been rush jobs, but meh, whatever.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Three days have passed _   
  
Stalking around the lounge like an angry mother bear deprived of her cubs, Blake Wallis struck his right fist into his palm in utter frustration. "I don't believe this! Practically _everyone_ has vanished within the space of three days! Blast it, isn't there anything we can do?!" Blake kicked the floor with vehemence. The latest disappearance had been reported just a moment ago; Chan Yoruyamatiha had been filched from right under Strider Hiryu's eye. Even Regina could no longer detect any trace of her soul. Hiryu sulked in a corner of the room, still unwilling to believe that his girlfriend had been taken from him practically under his nose. Within the space of the preceding few days, so many people had simply vanished without a trace.   
  
"Calm down and try to think of something," Captain Commando advised.   
  
His timing could not have been worse. Blake rounded the table and seized Commando by the shirt collar. "Calm down?! You want me to be calm when our friends are being abducted left and right?! Get that investigation going, now!" Blake roared, shoving Commando back into a chair. To his credit, Commando did not respond, only brushing off his shirt front with his right hand. Blake resumed his restless pacing around the room. "I promised Mitsu, Scott, and Kenneth that I'd take them to go cow-tipping when this was all over. There was so much that I wanted to show them ..." Blake sighed and ran a hand through his disorderly crop of hair. His father had tried to raise him free of dirty language and the IDC code of conduct strictly forbade any sort of profanity, but Blake felt a nearly irresistable urge to break those particular rules. Before joining with the IDC, he had been a legend on the streets of L.A. for being able to swear five full minutes without repeating a single word.   
  
"Do something constructive," Charlie advised.   
  
"Sure. Hold still." Blake rolled up his sleeves as he stalked to Charlie's seat. He swung, but it was a half-hearted punch that Charlie easily ducked. Sighing, Blake shook his head wearily. "Any new leads, captain?"   
  
Commando frowned. "Full test results are still returning, but already none of them look good," he answered. "You already know all of this, but Edgar went to use the men's restroom and never came out; Mitsukake went to call on an old friend but didn't arrive; Balrog vanished en route to the United States while in a private Shadowlaw jet; Chun-Li showered for five hours before Kirina finally became suspicious and couldn't find her; Maki boarded a commuter train for the Tokyo airport and vanished in the jam; and Zangief hasn't been heard from since the Russian government contacted him two days ago. Mason Storm is training out in the back with Juli right now. Vega hasn't vanished, he's in Spain. Sean Matsuda is still safe with the Masters family, but ... Eliza was not impressed when Ginzu went to break the bad news. Bad statistics, aren't they?"   
  
"At least we've narrowed down the culprit to only one possibility," Charlie offered. He glanced sideways at Regina, but the goddess did not respond. She only stared miserably at the floor.   
  
Captain Commando brought out one of McGrath's binders and laid it on the table in front of him. By common consent, McGrath's investigation was kept in the lounge where any fighter could access it at leisure. He flipped open the binder to a bookmarked and well-worn leaf, where a scrap of crumpled and resmoothed notebook paper lay pressed and taped upon the page. Commando had found it only yesterday when he and the _Phantoms_ combed Sakura's room for any trace of hints on how she or Ken might have vanished. It was in Sakura's unsteady Roman hand, but legible enough. And moreover, Commando had instantly recognized it as the scrap of paper that Sakura had shown to McGrath. "Fin d'Âme Interdite. Care to explain, Gill?"   
  
"I find it most difficult to believe myself," Gill replied heavily. "Yet the evidence is overwhelming."   
  
"The question is, what do we do with it?" Commando stated. Commando wasn't fluent in French, but even he could guess at what the phrase meant. Ruby Heart had confirmed his suspicions earlier. _Fin d'Âme Interdite? It means Forbidden Soul Theft - forbidden, as in a prohibited technique._ Armed with this knowledge, the Neo Commando Squad had confronted Gill together. And Gill reluctantly confirmed what they had already guessed at - only a god or goddess could use such a technique, and Regina was automatically ruled out. This, of course, left only one other possibility, and Regina had been most unhappy to learn of it. _I don't want to believe this of my dear sister, but ... it would seem that she is behind this, after all. She created this ability herself - it works by forcing a target's soul out of his body, where it can then be locked within hers. For each soul that she imprisons, her own power rises slightly._ And then Regina had fled the room weeping, crying out, _Didn't you seal away Eldrin for this very same sin? How could you be doing this, dear sister? Tell me that it isn't true! Answer me!_   
  
"And apparently, there's no place on Earth that a person can run to after losing a tournament battle," Commando continued. "Practically everyone who's been eliminated has also vanished. Even the noncombatants are gone: Karin, Ibuki, Rose, Gen, Zeku. Face it, none of us are safe."   
  
"Then what do we do?" Blake demanded.   
  
"Stick with someone who hasn't lost a match yet, perhaps?" Charlie suggested.   
  
Blake shook his head. "We need something better; that won't work. Hiryu and Chan were always together after their match - heck, they even shared rooms in the end - and look what happened to Chan. Hiryu turns around for half a minute and she's gone. Not even a sound. Same with Cody and Juni - nabbed from right under their bodyguards. I mean, what kind of person can pull that sort of kidnapping? There's got to be a better way, but what?"   
  
"Don't lose your next match, is all I can say," Commando replied.   
  
"That's not good enough!" Blake shouted. "I don't know what is up with this whole tournament, but I want Marin to come down here where I can see her face-to-face and _fight_!"   
  
Regina blanched and instantly turned as pale as a sheet. Gill rumbled, "Do not presume to challenge a goddess, foolish mortal."   
  
"Challenge?" Blake demanded. "Whose side are you on, anyway? I'll have you know, two-face, she's the one who's challenging us! Papa Wallis didn't raise his boy to be some goddess' salad course. I know that I can't defeat Marin, but that won't stop me from fighting my hardest when the time comes!" He swung at an invisible target to vent his frustration.   
  
"I'm certain that my sister has only good intentions," Regina said, but she sounded like she was trying to convince herself.   
  
Blake threw a pitying glance at her. "That's wishful thinking, Regina, and you know it."   
  
"So, what?" Ryu asked. "Do we simply sit here and quietly wait to be picked off?"   
  
"It's not like we can do anything else," Blake snarled. "Blast it, I've never felt so helpless before in my whole entire life! This is even worse than watching Dr. McGrath fighting the guy who wears his balls around his neck." Still fuming, Blake paced restlessly around the floor. He abruptly skidded to a halt and announced, "I can't take this anymore. I'm going to vent my emotions on a wooden practice dummy." So saying, he stormed from the room muttering dark threats under his breath. Regina watched him leave with tears shimmering in her eyes.   
  
"Don't blame yourself, this isn't your fault," Charlie told her.   
  
"I feel useless," Regina answered miserably. "I'm a goddess, and yet all I can do is watch as my friends are picked off one by one. My sister won't talk to me. I'm so confused!" She buried her face in her hands and wept aloud. This led to an awkward silence, until Charlie and Hiryu stood up and left the room. Gill took a seat next to Regina and tried to comfort her.   
  
"Something's bothering you, Commando," Ryu observed at last.   
  
"Yes. Read these entries." Ryu stood up and came over to where Commando pored through the last binder, the one in which McGrath had stored all of his most critical information. McGrath had been meticulous with his work - Commando suspected that it was a habit bred from his academic years - and he had penciled some of his thoughts down amongst the entries. Commando pointed out the ones that had caught his eye. _An opponent who cannot be seen cannot be fought. Who do I dance with? Is it an old enemy in a new form? Or is it something else?_ Farther down the page, in an entry timestamped one day later, McGrath had written, _It is natural for humans to prefer the evil they know to the evil that they do not. Whatever happens, the identity of the culprit must be revealed. Only then can action be taken._ The next page was mostly blank, but McGrath had written something at the bottom under a newspaper article. _Sakura holds a small but critical piece of the puzzle. Someone is trying to deter me, but who? That last game of Fortune Special was a warning and now I think I know who the agent behind these kidnappings is. Tonight, if my guess is correct, I may not be able to avoid a confrontation. Sadly, it seems that I will not have the luxury of waiting until my enemy is vulnerable. I should write a farewell letter._   
  
Ryu shook his head in amazement. "So, he really knew. Or at least he was one step away from solving the entire mystery ... but why did Akuma come for him on that day?"   
  
"That wasn't a coincidence," Commando stated. "Look at the timestamp on this entry. He made it just an hour before his battle against Akuma - he thought he had until that night, but Akuma preempted him. And not just Akuma; Marin also had a hand in it. She knew that she had to eliminate him immediately."   
  
"Buy why?" Ryu persisted. "That's the part I don't understand - why did she have to do that without waiting for him to lose a match?"   
  
"Because he very nearly caught onto her - one more day, perhaps, and he would have, and we would know about it too." Commando studied the haphazard journal with a critical eye. "Marin began by moving discreetly and picking off the Darkstalkers, then Karin and Ibuki, but even those actions managed to awaken McGrath's suspicions." In hindsight, moving so soon had been a mistake on Marin's part; with the disappearances of Demitri and Morrigan, and Jedah still absent, Makai had nearly fallen into chaos. Only the timely intervention of Galnan Voshtal, the last remaining lord of Makai's three great houses, had prevented total anarchy from breaking out. And the news of Karin and Ibuki disappearing had been on the news for weeks. "So she lay low and resorted to deceit until she took him; only after doing that did she consider it safe to begin kidnapping the others with impunity. Not that it matters since we can't do anything about it," Commando added sourly. "At least we know for certain that Marin is kidnapping all the tournament contestants. What I don't understand is how Marin could feel so threatened by McGrath that he had to be eliminated immediately; was she afraid of the night's confrontation if it came? It seems that McGrath knew something that we don't. Look at this - it's like he's hinting at a weakness of Marin's, but that's all he does, hint. Without more information, I can't piece together what he was thinking. We need this knowledge."   
  
"A weakness of Marin's ...?" Ryu repeated.   
  
"I'd give an arm and a leg to know," Commando stated. "It's this sort of information that could prove priceless in the end. Hey, Gill! Isn't the winning team in this tournament supposed to face Marin in the finals?"   
  
"This is so," Gill answered. "The Lady Marin will appear once a winning team has been decided."   
  
"Thanks."   
  
"Look here," Ryu said, pointing out one of the entries on the binder page. "McGrath mentioned that he should write a farewell letter. I know you asked me about it earlier and I said that he didn't leave it with me, but someone else, perhaps? I wonder if he ever wrote it?"   
  
"I've asked around, but no one seems to have it," Commando replied. "Either that, or whoever had the letter was also caught by Marin. That isn't likely, though; the IDC has been very thorough about searching through the belongings of the missing contestants, and I haven't heard of anyone finding a letter." Commando drummed his fingers together. "I highly doubt that he wrote it, but I'm hoping that I'm wrong. In the meantime, we should be thinking of what to do with this information. Regina, can I ask for your help?"   
  
"I will do my best," Regina promised. "What can I do for you?"   
  
Commando called Regina, Ryu, and Gill together into a huddle where they held a whispered conference.

* * *

_ San Francisco, United States   
Two days have passed _   
  
Breathing in the morning air, Charlie paced around slowly on the world famous Golden Gate bridge, the site of the next scheduled battle. Further back behind him Guile and Scott Wagner were busy warming up with push-ups and sit-ups, the latter blazing through with twice the speed of the former. Wagner finished his set and sprang up. "You're getting out of shape, major!"   
  
"Bah, easy for you to say," Guile grunted. "I haven't kept up since I left the military eight years ago."   
  
"Results, not excuses," Wagner admonished.   
  
"Cut the chatter," Charlie ordered, "our match is about to begin. Let's do it. I'm the tactical leader on this side, refs." Gill and Jedah nodded acquiesence and backed off to the sidelines where the view was clearer. The sun was still on the eastern horizon, so Charlie and his opponent both cast long shadows. Sunlight illuminated the bridge at a slanted angle, mixing red and gold for a brilliant orange effect. The bridge itself had been cleared for the day's event; it was very long but not particularly wide. Fog lay low over the bay, but the morning air was cool and very crisp, not at all humid - ideal for combat, in other words. Charlie met Dadallent in the center of the battleground and spoke first. "I've heard many rumors about you, Dadallent. I don't know if they are true or not, but I want to hear from you directly: who are you?"   
  
"Who I am is unimportant," the Chaos Prince answered flatly. "We fight."   
  
_Begin!_   
  
A bright flash of light shone down from above and both combatants became all business. Charlie flung a Sonic Boom off his left arm and Dadallent dove into a roll, avoiding the attack and emerging practically underneath his opponent. He lashed out with a spinning ankle sweep that Charlie avoided by jumping; this, however, turned out to be a mistake when Dadallent completed his spin faster than the eye could follow and used his momentum to propel himself to his feet. Before Charlie could regain the ground, Dadallent seized his shoulders and pulled him hard to the side, slamming Charlie into the asphalt on his back. Charlie barely avoided a follow-up stomp attack, rolling to the side as Guile threw a Sonic Boom to cover him.   
  
But Dadallent parried the Sonic Boom, dissipating it harmlessly into empty air even as he ruthlessly tracked Charlie. Dadallent swung a swift blow from the side that Charlie blocked and the Air Force pilot felt his arms numb from the attack. Again, almost more swiftly than the eye could follow, Dadallent dropped and rammed his fist into the ground, shaking the bridge a little beneath them. Charlie jumped to the side as a wave of fire came streaming past.   
  
Half a world away, Kyosuke Kagami held forth his steady commentary on the battle unfolding through the giant holoprojector. "Good evening and welcome back to the World Collision tournament! Right now, the Chaos Prince is rapidly turning his fight with Charlie into a one-sided battle. My colleague Jin Saotome is currently monitoring the fight at the battle site itself. Jin, if you would explain to the viewers how the two sides stack up -"   
  
"- while Dadallent beats the living daylights out of Charlie -!" Jin screamed.   
  
Kyosuke muffled his ears and hit the volume control on his dashboard. "We apologize for that. Anyway, normally I would ask Master Gen to do a detailed analysis of the teams, but he is currently unavailable. So here's how I see it. Considered as individuals, the American Vigilantes are roughly equal to the Police team, only with slightly better teamwork. However, the Police team quickly lost a battle of attrition in its last fight against Dadallent. All things considered, Dadallent has a greater chance of winning than his opponents. If you look closely at the fight, he also has a heavy tactical advantage at the moment; Charlie still hasn't recovered from their initial encounter and assists from Guile aren't enough to relieve the pressure on him. Dadallent is slowly working his way in to a point where he'll be able to strike directly at Charlie. Charlie has to - _great_ move by Dadallent, five hit combo! He's moving in for the kill - no, Charlie flung a Sonic Boom right in his kidneys! Excellent retaliation!"   
  
Staggering from the blow, Dadallent clutched his stomach for a moment. Impact from Charlie's Sonic Boom felt like having dry ice shot into his belly and he could feel the energies seeping out from the point of contact, debilitating him. He hadn't seen it coming at all. But at least he was still better off than Charlie, who was bleeding from his shoulder and his left arm. Charlie switched out and Guile jumped into the fight, ready for a brawl. The former Air Force soldier opened with a backswing as Scott Wagner came in to throw an anti-air assist. Dadallent walked straight into the attack without flinching; even as Guile's eyes shot open in surprise, Dadallent seized him by his shirt front and kicked both of his knees out, then knocked him onto his knees with a fierce knife-edged chop into the shoulder. Scott's Rising Kick landed both attacks right into Dadallent's chin, but the Chaos Prince simply flinched as though the attack were no more than an annoyance.   
  
"Unreal ..." Charlie whispered. Nobody could take damage like that.   
  
Dadallent struck again, his fist shooting out like a bullet and right into Guile's nose before the other man could block the attack. Guile tumbled backwards over the pavement as blood began to seep out of his face. Clutching his broken nose with one hand, he staggered upright to his feet while keeping a wary eye on Dadallent. The Chaos Prince had made no move to exploit the opening, merely waiting until Guile had regained a solid footing before moving in to attack again. Scott Wagner once more showed up with an assist as Guile flung a Sonic Boom. Dadallent vanished, blurring out instantly only to reappear practically atop Guile as he dropped down from the sky, aiming a vicious stomp at the back of the air force pilot's neck. Had it been only him and his opponent, the attack would have gone through; instead, Scott intercepted Dadallent halfway and knocked him out of the Ninja Twirl.   
  
Dadallent landed lightly on his feet as Guile tried to rush him down. "Here we go ... Somersault ... Somersault -!" Guile left the ground in a flash, twisting himself upside down in a move that seemed to defy gravity. He brought his rear leg up with punishing force and while the first attack whiffed entirely, he'd covered enough distance to hit Dadallent squarely in the stomach with his second attack. The Chaos Prince was knocked into the air, but when Guile came around for the final attack - "Strike!" - Dadallent twisted himself to the side and avoided the worst of the impact, taking only a glancing hit off his arm. He reached with both hands and caught Guile just as the air force pilot was upside down; in a moment, Dadallent had his opponent locked in that position as gravity began to reassert it. There was no time for Guile to call for help and barely any to think; Dadallent rammed him into the ground neckfirst and rolled away, leaving his opponent to take all the impact from the attack.   
  
"Kicked his ass like a sack of meal!" Jin shrieked, his eyes bulging as he thrust his face right into a camera.   
  
Guile slumped on the bridge, the attack having nearly broken his neck. As he was whisked out, Scott Wagner jumped in to continue the fight. "I'll get you for what you did to Guile!" he called out, and with that he charged straight at Dadallent. The Chaos Prince made no reply, only sinking his fist into the ground again and sending a wave of fire at Wagner. The youth vaulted over the attack, throwing himself into a flying kick at Dadallent. That turned out to be a mistake when the Chaos Prince backflipped and Wagner's attack missed completely. In a moment, Dadallent was laying into Wagner and got through on the third blow, knocking his opponent into the air for a brutal close-range chain. "Eight hit aerial-rave!" Jin screamed. Charlie belatedly entered to throw a Sonic Boom but it was over by then.   
  
Rolling to soften his impact, Scott came upright again and wiped a trickle of blood away from his mouth. He was faring no better than Charlie and Guile had done and he knew it. Dadallent wasn't moving, though; instead, Scott realized that the Chaos Prince was waiting for him to recover. Well, that could turn to his advantage; Scott reached out with the power that Bison had imbued into him. No trace of metal anywhere on Dadallent's body itself, but behind him ... Scott made a grabbing motion in the air. The Psychisaber and its sheath flew off Dadallent's back and to him. Scott drew the sword, noting with some surprise how light and short it was, but it glinted in the morning sun with a decidedly bitter looking edge.   
  
"Do you know how to use that weapon?" Dadallent asked slowly, folding his arms in front of his chest.   
  
"I lop off your head with the sharp side," Scott replied fiercely. He dashed forward and swung at Dadallent's neck; the Chaos Prince reached out with his left hand and caught the swing as it passed Scott's shoulder. A moment later, he had ripped the sword right out of Scott's grip and struck Scott under the chin with his other palm. Scott staggered and saw stars for a moment. Dadallent pulled the sheath out of his other hand, too, and rapped the side of his head with it before resheathing the blade and replacing it on his back. Scott pressed a hand to his temples, trying hard to hold on to some semblance of consciousness. That sheath was made of metal and significantly heavier than the sword itself.   
  
Battered and rapidly becoming fatigued, Scott pulled himself to his feet again. Once more he snatched the sword off Dadallent's back, the shrouded ninja making no move to prevent this. This time, he unsheathed the weapon in midair and sent it hurtling at Dadallent with fatal accuracy. The sword cleaved through the Chaos Prince's skull like an arrow through a haystack. Scott could scarcely believe what he saw next. With blood and gore dripping down his face, Dadallent calmed began to stride forward in a threatening manner, the Psychisaber still impaled through his forehead. Scott scrambled backwards; a moment later, a blistering cloud of iron fragments whirled into life around him as he desperately tried to raise a defense. What kind of man could survive a blade right through his brains?   
  
Kyosuke Kagami couldn't believe it either. "Am I really seeing this, ladies and gentlemen? Reports indicated that Dadallent could withstand even the most devastating attacks, but I had no idea he was capable of this ... well, the Chaos Prince is rapidly narrowing down the distance on Scott Wagner. Scott's surrounded himself with his Magnetic Crucible, a veritable whirlwind of iron filaments guaranteed to shred through anything that comes into it. Here comes Dadallent - oh my gosh, he's walking right into the storm! Unbelievable!" Scott ran, but Dadallent caught him as he turned and in one motion pulled the sword out of his head. He brought the pommel of the weapon crashing down on Scott's exposed neck and the magnetic storm died down as the airman slumped to the ground.   
  
Charlie stepped back into the fight very warily, trying to avert his eyes from Dadallent. But the long ingrained habit of tracking one's opponent, coupled with morbidity, forced him to look. Dadallent had resheathed the sword onto his back and it looked like the only part of him which was still intact. The Chaos Prince was a gruesome sight with blood running down his body in torrents. Scott's Magnetic Crucible had shredded away much of his flesh, leaving it hanging down his body in tattered, bleeding strips. His whole uniform was punctured and bloodstained and there was a gaping hole in his forehead. Despite this, Dadallent had lost none of the fluid grace that marked his movements. Charlie contented himself with launching a Sonic Boom, but Dadallent countered with another Ninja Twirl, striking Charlie on the shoulder as he dropped out of the sky.   
  
Charlie retaliated by throwing a Sonic Boom off his leg and into Dadallent's. This caused the Chaos Prince to lose his balance and drop to the asphalt, but he rolled away and avoided a second Sonic Boom. When Charlie tried to track Dadallent with a third Sonic Boom, the Chaos Prince jumped up and blocked it. Then he was steadily narrowing down the distance again, relentlessly working his way in to Charlie. He pulled a Ninja Twirl right as Charlie flung a Sonic Boom from a backhand attack. It was a trap, as Charlie alpha canceled the move right into a Somersault kick intending to knock Dadallent out of the air. Once more he had underestimated his dangerous opponent, however, and Dadallent let the kick slide harmlessly off his gashed sides as he stomped his heel into Charlie's stomach. Charlie went down heavily, landing hard with a gasp.   
  
He was rapidly losing this fight and he knew it. He also finally understood what Ryu had said to him only yesterday. _You and I fight at nearly the same level, training to become better. The Chaos Prince is different. When you fight him, within the first half minute you realize that you cannot defeat him regardless of how well you fight. It is not possible, he is simply that skilled. He fights on a higher level that you and I have not yet reached._ Charlie had been more than a little skeptical at the time - he and Guile had, after all, defeated the dreaded M. Bison - but Bison was different from this man. For one, Bison couldn't take damage that would sink a battleship and yet keep fighting like nothing had ever happened. "I can't ... defeat you ..." Charlie rasped out, still disoriented from the last attack.   
  
Dadallent straightened, his expression still hidden behind his bloodstained blindfold. "That is not true. Not until you believe that you are defeated - and once you have convinced yourself, it becomes inevitable."   
  
"What do you mean ...?"   
  
"Enough talk. Prepare yourself." Dadallent stalked towards Charlie and the American man readied a token defense, but he barely parried Dadallent's first strike and the second one caught him squarely in the chest. Charlie reeled back, off balance, and it was all that his opponent needed. Dadallent blurred forward, slid past him making a sharp knife hand motion ... and Charlie sank to his knees before collapsing into the bridge. Dadallent straightened and turned around, offering a last bow to his opponent.   
  
"The Chaos Prince advances!" Jin screamed. 


	24. Choosing Sides

**Choosing Sides**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I can't believe it either, it's another update! Anyway, most of you probably know I've returned to college, which means that between schoolwork and studying I'll have a lot less time to write. Plus, having to deal with the new rule about paragraphs is a total pain since I have to manually space all paragraphs in QuickEdit. But don't worry, I'm not shelving this fanfic! The more support I get, the more I'll try to finish it. And ... I've two very special surprises prepared for the readers who regularly check up on the story.

* * *

_Osaka, Japan  
One day has passed _

"Guess what just came in?" Captain Commando glanced up to see Guile standing over him with a thin sheaf of papers in hand. "That's right, captain; the IDC just faxed over a complete transcript of voice communications from the days leading up to McGrath's last battle. Most of it is irrelevant, but the last sheet may interest you."

Commando accepted the papers with a nod. "Timestamped two hours prior to the fight. Let's see ..." It was only a short snippet of a conversation, but Commando frowned as he read it. Guile peeked over his shoulder. "McGrath places a call to IDC headquarters ... somebody codenamed Diamondtype answers him ... McGrath requests a mission abortion for the _Phantoms_ ... Diamondtype wants to know why ... McGrath explains ... Diamondtype denies the request ... that's strange, right before he terminates the connection McGrath mentions that Kain is his only backup now. It looks like he wasn't talking to Diamondtype at all, just talking to himself."

"That's the conclusion that I drew," Guile answered. "Diamondtype obviously didn't believe his story on Marin."

Commando sighed. "And McGrath didn't push the point. So he knew - he knew that it was Marin. And she killed him for it, just as he said she would. But who is this Kain fellow - any ideas, Guile?" When no response came, Commando looked up and around the room. Only then did he realize that it was quite empty apart from himself. Commando whirled around, his eyes searching frantically, but they confirmed what he knew - he was alone. He called out twice and received no answer. His fists clenched as he muttered, "Dagnabbit, we just lost another one. And he was taken practically in front of me!"

Twenty minutes later, Commando, Gill, and Regina paced around the room looking for clues. "I don't sense any traces of his spirit," Regina reported at length. "And there was no indication at all ... whoever did this to Guile must have disabled my trap before going for the kidnapping."

"Tell me how this works again?" Commando requested.

"I have a shield set around each of the remaining contestants," Regina explained. "If triggered, it sends me a notice and then immobilizes whoever triggered it. Humans and most spirits, even one classed as high as Gill, wouldn't be able to break it. In theory, that would give us enough time to pin down the kidnapper."

"In theory," Commando frowned.

"Yes ... my sister must have disabled the trap." Regina sighed. "I'm sorry, I want to help, but ..."

"Don't blame yourself," Commando advised. "Is there nothing here?"

"Nothing that I can see," Regina answered. "Then let's keep a sharp eye on Scott Wagner. You know the story, Charlie and Guile are both gone now." Commando ran a hand through his hair. "Come on, Gill, we have a lot of work to do." They left the room together, deep in discussion of tactics. Regina watched them leave with mixed feelings.

After a few minutes, her head suddenly snapped up and she called out, "Who's there?"

"Fear not, it is only I." Dadallent faded into the room, trailing his long red scarf behind him as he bowed to Regina.

"Did you see what happened?" Regina asked, starting up from her position on the floor. "Did you see who took Guile?"

"No. It does not matter, we know who must have done it."

"Yes, but ... but I don't want to believe it!" Regina cried. "How could my own sister, who I've known for all my life, be doing this? I want her to tell me that it isn't true! I don't ... I don't understand what she's hoping to accomplish!" Regina broke down and began to weep.

"That no longer matters," Dadallent stated coldly. "I heard your tale about the Gate of True Hearts, goddess. Very sentimental. Do you still not realize what lies before your very eyes?"

"What do you mean?" Regina asked, looking up at him through tearstained eyes.

"Let me put it this way, you might find yourself confronting that gate very soon."

"I don't understand ..." Regina replied, sounding more confused than ever. She looked questioningly at Dadallent, but what little could be seen of his face revealed absolutely no emotion. She wondered what he really thought, what he really saw behind that blindfold of his. She knew why he was blind, of course; long ago, Dadallent had ritually taken out his eyes in order to enhance his spiritual vision. It gave him a powerful advantage in combat and he certainly didn't move as though he were truly blind. But how had he acquired Marin's weapon, the Psychisaber? So many things she wished she knew about him.

"They are blindest who keep their eyes shut," Dadallent answered pitilessly, as though quoting a proverb.

"Stop talking in riddles!" Regina exploded. "Just give me a straight answer."

"Perhaps I must, seeing as how you will not reach any conclusions on your own," Dadallent replied. "Goddess, very soon you will have to choose your side. You will either stand with your sister or with the mortals. This conflict cannot be avoided. You _know_ that the humans cannot defeat a goddess. They can win only with your help, but then you would be fighting against your own sister. Can you do it? Or will you side with your sister? Your decision will shape the future of this world and perhaps that of the countless other worlds out there."

He turned around to leave, but Regina preempted him. "Dadallent ... you still have a heart."

"I did not say that," he answered stiffly as his stride abruptly cut off. "But it shows. I know the stories, you were once a great prince! Even after all this time has gone by, you still haven't lost yourself!"

He laughed harshly, no trace of mirth in his voice. "The prince faded when I was cursed and I killed him long ago. There is no kindness left in me, goddess. I live for only one purpose now, and that is to destroy. To that one end I have devoted my life and become as evil as any human ever could - so evil that Hell itself feared to claim me. You can end my existence, goddess, but I still have a part to play in the upcoming war. As for your angel Rynn, inform her that I will await her two days from now at the old temple." Dadallent dipped his head and stalked out of the room.

More confused than ever, Regina stared after him, gazing blankly at the area where he had been before turning around and staring at the far wall without really seeing it. _Why do you have to perplex me like this? You're so different from the man I once knew, but I still believe that deep down inside you're still the prince who was admired by his people, even under the curse!_ She brushed a tear away from the corner of an eye and resolved not to let her feelings out, not this time. As for Dadallent's challenge to Rynn, Regina did not intend to let her angel die again in battle with the Chaos Prince.

Part of her asked why she cared so much. Dadallent had long ago cast away his humanity, and the story went around in Heaven that the Almighty punished him for his great sin by making him semi-immortal. Regina hadn't met Dadallent herself prior to the tournament, but she seemed to recall Marin having once met him. And if all the stories were really true ... it didn't bear thinking about. Even Gill and McGrath were wary around him, and wasn't Dadallent the one who had killed poor Urien? For that matter, the archangel was still recovering in Heaven. Regina sighed to herself. _I'm too soft to fight. I always want to believe the best in everyone, but if what Dadallent says is true ... but it can't be. Right?_

"Does something trouble you, Regina?" a voice from behind asked.

"I'm just worried about Dadallent, Samantha," Regina answered, half-turning to look at the new arrival. Samantha stood on the top step of the short flight of stairs that led into the lounge; possibly she had passed Dadallent coming in? "I've heard many conflicting stories about him. Did you know that he was once a great prince in Dacia? I simply wonder what could have happened to have caused him to fall so utterly."

Samantha's eyes hardened. "Regina, perhaps you do not understand this as you are a goddess, but I as a human have seen Dadallent in battle with the man I love most. I wish to see him killed and forgotten. Perhaps I may sound vindictive to your ears, yet these are my sentiments."

"I believe in goodness," Regina replied.

"I believe there is no goodness in him," Samantha answered firmly. "You are foolish to believe otherwise."

Regina seated herself on the couch as Samantha left the room in long-legged strides. The other woman was correct in a way, but not entirely. _I want to believe in a person's goodness, even in someone like Dadallent. Am I being too naïve? I'm so confused ... I've never dealt with anyone from Earth before. Marin, where are you when I need your help? Talk to me, sister ..._ Regina had earlier sent a few of her angels back to Heaven to search for Marin, but they had returned to report that Marin was nowhere to be found. _I love you all, my friends, but what do I do ...?_

Meanwhile, Samantha was full of conflicting thoughts of her own as she headed for the room that, until recently, she had shared with McGrath. _My husband fought three times with Dadallent, no clear victor in any outcome. We of the IDC have lost several soldiers to him. So many people have fallen beneath his bloodstained hands, yet Regina still believes that there is goodness in him? She must be so self-deluded. She calls herself a goddess; I will believe it when I see evidence of -_

Her train of thought was abruptly cut off when her communicator rang. Pulling the thin device off her hip, Samantha took one glance at the onscreen computer and brought the communicator to her ear. "Attention all units, this is Captain Commando speaking. Scott Wagner has just been abducted by an unknown subject, tracking subject at short range by the hotel. Subject is wearing a helmet, a black jacket, and blue denim, riding a motorcycle with license plate R83BI1. All units respond immediately!"

"BEAT leader here," came the near instant reply, "we've already got a team on it."

"Apache here," Blake Wallis followed, "Lloyd and I are heading down to grab Recon Cycles, we'll be with you in an instant."

"This is Keychain," Samantha reported as she broke into a flat sprint. "I will take my Recon Cycle by the hotel lobby. Relay your coordinates to me, captain." Samantha rounded a corner as the coordinate set and a miniature map of Osaka appeared on her screen. Her Recon Cycle was parked by the hotel entrance, its dangerous-looking pair of warhead launchers affixed to the main frame. Samantha hopped into the pilot's seat and gunned the engine into quick start, pausing only to retract the missile launchers. Commando was already half a kilometer and rapidly widening the distance; two other dots denoted Blake and Lloyd ahead and to the right. Even as Samantha shot out of the hotel lot, she saw Blake and Lloyd far ahead zooming into the crowded and dangerous streets of Osaka.

And with that, the chase was on. Samantha paused only to turn her communicator to all-frequency mode and instantly she was at the center of a barrage of information, resentfully noting that she was the last in a long line of pursuers. Commando was closest to the target and a moment later had succeeded in tagging it; IDC satellites then relayed the information to Samantha's bike computer where the target in question was painted a bright red, nearly a kilometer ahead of her. "I can see the subject up ahead!" Commando shouted over the wind. "Do we have any air support here?!"

"We could scramble fighters from a nearby air dock," Lloyd called back, "but they'd need at least twenty minutes to arrive. Too conspicuous!"

"Fine!" Commando called. Samantha skillfully wove through the traffic while keeping one eye on her computer. This high-speed pursuit was just like the simulations - perhaps easier, come to think of it, now that she didn't run the risk of losing a tire to a random bullet. Whoever was driving the target motorcycle was no pushover, but neither was Commando, and the captain had an IDC recon cycle and thus the superior machine. While Samantha dodged through the busy traffic keeping one eye on the target screen, Commando steadily narrowed down the distance to the quarry. They were approaching the heart of the city now. "Almost there!" Commando reported. "Just give me another hundred meters and I can - holy -!" He was abruptly cut off as a sickening crunch blasted through the communicator, nearly causing Samantha to jump out of her skin. Two BEAT dots immediately turned to converge on Commando's position.

"What happened?" Blake called. No reply came for a few moments, although Samantha strained her ears and nearly ran into a car. A plethora of Japanese curses barraged her from all sides, but she merely ignored it all and gunned the engine. She had covered a significant portion of the distance between herself and the red dot, but she knew that she was playing a risky game by driving at such a dangerous speed. When Commando finally broke the silence, it was in a bare whisper. "Fell ... into a trap ..." he rasped out. "... watch ... for neck-heighth ... tripwires ..."

"Get a medic to him. Now!" BEAT leader shouted. "Who else is closest to the subject?"

"I'm on it!" Right before Samantha's disbelieving eyes, Blake narrowed down the distance at an incredible rate. Samantha ran a red light and changed to a lesser used street, barely avoiding being clipped by a car. Whoever was fleeing hadn't stopped at all and Samantha wondered how skilled someone had to be in order to do that. And from the way he or she dodged around, the subject had to have realized that he or she was being followed. Blake and a quartet of the nearest BEATS closed the distance. "BEAT leader, try to ambush the subject right on the fringes of the city!"

"We're setting up multiple staging points," the BEAT replied. "Corner the subject against the harbor if you can. All units, maintain positions and prepare to close in once the subject has been apprehended. We don't know who we're dealing with, so deal expeditiously with the subject. Subject is wearing a bike helmet, a black leather jacket, and jeans. Drives a standard motorcycle; engine's not too powerful, but he can sure pull some fancy moves."

"I see him up ahead! I'm taking the distance!" Blake cried. "But I don't see Scott Wagner anywhere! You think he might've - son of a, I'm going down!" Even through the channel, Samantha felt rather than heard Blake brace himself and a moment later he had crashed into the street. Blake's recon cycle and that of the four BEATs behind him all ground to a stop on the tactical threat display. "Ow ow ow ... this is Apache, there are tacks scattered all over the street and they got all five of us! Ouch! Send a medic ... we're in a bad shape, one of your BEATs is bleeding all over the ground. I think I've broken a few bones ... Apache, going into passive mode." His channel faded out.

Samantha kicked her recon cycle ahead, passing through a bridge and emerging into the main street once more. Lloyd was ahead of her but still a good distance from the subject and he was definitely approaching with more caution than either Blake or Commando had shown. Over the communications array, BEAT leader shouted out orders for the remaining IDC soldiers to fan out and search for Scott Wagner. With the mechanical efficiency of clockwork, the soldiers moved to comply with the command and Samantha passed a BEAT moving in the opposite direction. She was close to the target now, but they were beginning to move out of the city and she hoped that Lloyd at least would catch up. Samantha hated lone takedowns.

Dodging around a comparatively slow moving car - her recon cycle was pushing the 160 kph mark - Samantha nearly ran into a curb and dodged it only at the last moment. The hot air of the inner city stung her delicate cheeks, but she grimly pulled around and executed a near-impossible skid, throwing the recon cycle on a new course that saved her half a minute's worth of playing catch-up to Lloyd. Her hair whipped around wildly in her face and Samantha ducked to clear her vision. There was another shortcut around here and she intended to find it ... there! Samantha performed another one of her nigh-impossible maneuvers and raced off into a back alley so constricted that her legs brushed against the bricks on both sides. She cut down a little on speed; meanwhile, BEAT leader was still coordinating the chase. "Greyhawk, Keychain's catching up rapidly to you. Maintain your current tracking line."

"Understood, BEAT leader," Lloyd answered. Samantha shot out of the alleyway and into another street; glancing up, she was nearly blinded by the sun and bolted off. Directly under a bridge overpass Samantha stopped again to orient herself. She had nearly caught up with the elusive quarry on the outskirts of the town and was only slightly behind Lloyd. Coughing once - the city air was bad for her - Samantha gunned the recon cycle and shot out of the bridge's shadow. Looking up, she could Lloyd in his recon cycle and distinctive overcoat bearing down hard on another motorcycle. Samantha was still too far to see the rider of the motorcycle, but with the flick of the fuel injector she was once more rapidly covering the distance. She blurred past two whole blocks of residences and trees. "Greyhawk, I am covering you! Do it!"

"Understood, Keychain!"

"BEAT patrol, subject is in blockade area two. Spring the ambush on my mark," BEAT leader ordered. Samantha was now close enough to see the rider of the motorcycle, whom Lloyd had nearly caught up with. Suddenly, from a particularly narrow passageway through which the unknown target was passing, a harpoon flew out of the shadows trailing a long length of steel-shod cable. Samantha couldn't believe what she saw next; with superhuman reflexes, the motorcycle rider began to dodge even before the harpoon embedded itself into the building opposite its launch point. The rider threw the machine into a sideways skid at an angle which gravity should have pulled them both to the ground in a terrible wipeout; instead, the rider dodged under the harpoon, reached down to the ground, and with precise swiftness pushed himself upright again. Samantha's heart leapt into her mouth as she saw Lloyd blaze down the same alleyway, but the veteran _Phantom_ had tricks of his own, too. He produced a Sparrow Dagger from his huge overcoat and flung it with his trademark deadly aim, cleanly cleaving through the cable. Lloyd gunned his engine and shot ahead; a moment later, two BEATs followed him from the alleyway on their own recon cycles.

"Subject escaped the ambush!" BEAT leader shouted. "Track him down! Medic, how are the others coming along?" Samantha zoomed through the narrow passage herself and she emerged beyond the city.

"Fine. Apache and Commando will both recover; they're not half as beaten up as we'd thought on first glance," the BEAT reported. "Raven and Highstrike will both be out of action for at least a week, though. They'll need blood transfusions and we're taking them to the nearest IDC base."

Ahead of Samantha, Lloyd had practically pulled up alongside the unknown rider and was trying to pull him off the motorcycle. The rider dodged at the last moment, causing Lloyd to nearly lose his balance. When the _Phantom_ tried again, this time it was with a BEAT at his back. The rider kept out of arm's reach and then gunned ahead when Lloyd had to break away for a moment as a line of trees came zooming past them. Samantha was only about twenty meters behind them now.

Lloyd tried to close in again, but he caught sight of a telltale flash just in time and dodged to the left, hard; a moment later a bullet ricocheted harmlessly off the recon cycle's armor-plating front. The rider turned and aimed another bullet at the cycle's tires, but the armor caught this one too. Lloyd tried to approach from the side opposite the rider's gun arm as the two BEATs wove around in a complex support pattern. As they emerged into a particular wide intersection, however, the mysterious rider pulled the motorcycle to the right, hard, nearly running himself into the ground as the machine squealed in protest at being made to execute such an unnatural maneuver. His gun arm came up again and he fired; it was a shot that even McGrath would have been challenged to make, and yet it came through. The bullet ricocheted off the pavement and under the recon cycle's formidable front armor, blasting through Lloyd's tires. A moment later, the veteran _Phantom_ had lost his balance and shot out of the cycle's seat as the machine crashed headlong into the ground. Lloyd flew a good ten meters through the air before crashing heavily into the pavement. One of the BEATs immediately swerved off to tend to him.

"Greyhawk!" Samantha shrieked. "Respond, Lloyd!" When no answer was forthcoming, she kicked the engine and chased down the target. The other BEAT had tried to run down the mystery kidnapper earlier, but the target had simply applied brakes at the last second and the BEAT shot past him - almost. The mystery rider backhanded the BEAT and left him sprawling on the ground clutching at a bruised windpipe. Samantha had to swerve to avoid a collision with the injured IDC soldier, but one glance confirmed that he would live; besides, more IDC-colored dots were converging on their location. Unfortunately, this had also bought the mystery rider enough time to run once more. Samantha's eyes narrowed as she fired up her own machine and resumed the chase.

The mystery rider turned again and fired a bullet which Samantha only barely ducked in time. Earlier McGrath had trained her to dodge bullets, but Samantha hadn't yet fully mastered the technique. Samantha had no weapons of her own, but she was wary of closing in for a takedown. She settled on a different course of action, dropping back some distance as another bullet came by, this one deflected off the recon cycle's front windbreaker. Samantha flicked a button and the recon cycle's two warhead launchers rose out of the bike's back. Selecting a homing missile, Samantha keyed the area in front of her target and launched a single rocket that streaked from the bike like a shooting star. The warhead's smoke was colorless and it raced across the distance that separated Samantha from her target in an instant. It flew on past the target, but only for a brief moment before it abruptly turned downwards and impacted the ground hard.

The concussion blast of the rocket impact knocked the mystery rider backwards off his motorcycle as his machine went skidding along the ground and straight into the crater left by the missile. The rider crashed into a tree and went motionless, falling heavily to the pavement before all movement stopped. Samantha skimmed over the road and pulled up alongside the rider a moment later; she left the engine on idle and approached the target of the chase. He was lying quite still on the ground except for the occasional groan and Samantha radioed a status report over the communicator. "Keychain reporting, I have apprehended the subject. Requesting an extraction team at my coordinates. BEAT leader, how is Greyhawk?"

"Not well, I'm afraid," BEAT leader answered. "No head concussions, mercifully, but he'll be out of action for at least a week. Four BEATs heading to your position now, they'll arrive in ten minutes."

"Thank you, BEAT leader." Samantha replaced the communicator on her hip and approached the mystery rider. He was starting to pull himself to his feet, but Samantha forestalled him by sweeping her left leg under his chin and a moment later had cleanly lifted him off the ground. Folding her hands behind her back, she pinned him up against the tree a good two feet off the ground with her leg and stood perfectly still. "Answer my questions. Where is Scott Wagner?"

A faint gurgle came in reply and the rider clutched futilely at Samantha's leg. Sighing, she eased up a little on the pressure; this, however, turned out to be a mistake when the mystery rider instantly retaliated by striking Samantha's left knee on either side, causing her leg to buckle and collapsing the chokehold. Samantha reeled backwards without falling as the sudden loss of balance disoriented her for a moment. She turned the motion into a backward shoulder roll and regained her feet, but was somewhat disconcerted to see the mystery rider assume a combat stance with no trace of injury or fatigue. Samantha's eyes narrowed. "BEAT leader, I may need reinforcements. The subject is uninjured and potentially dangerous."

"Copy that, Keychain. Reinforcements on their way."

Samantha eyed her quarry warily, on the alert for any sudden movements or any sign of weaponry. It was the mystery rider who struck first, breaking into a run that Samantha dashed forward to meet. The mystery rider swung with his right arm and Samantha countered with a powerful Minerva Kick that caught her opponent under the chin, knocking him backwards. Whoever the rider was, however, he managed to safely roll out of the fall and regain his feet before Samantha could follow up her momentary advantage. In an instant they had closed again and were trading blows hard and fast. This time, the mystery rider did not make the mistake of underestimating Samantha and they fought around the tree. And to her surprise and dismay, Samantha discovered that she was severely outmatched. "You are skilled ..." she rasped out.

The mystery rider made no reply. Samantha blocked a high kick and attempted to retaliate with a Minerva Kick, but the mystery rider pulled his leg back with incredible speed and Samantha's leg shot through empty air. She felt her leading leg tear through only empty air and mentally prepared herself, knowing that the technique's long cooldown was about to make itself felt. But the mystery rider did not exploit the opening, merely letting Samantha complete her attack and land safely on her feet. The rider beckoned to Samantha with a gloved hand; to her discomfort, Samantha noted that she was breathing hard while the rider showed no sign of exertion.

It was impossible to see through the rider's helmet, but Samantha had odd suspicions. She was taller than he - no great surprise, she was taller than most men - but the rider struck her as odd in more than one way. Instead of going straight in again, Samantha jumped and arced down on her enemy with an overhead attack, her powerful Full-Moon Kick that could bring a rampaging buffalo to the ground with one strike. This the mystery rider dodged by skillfully sliding out of the way and Samantha inwardly wondered who she could be fighting against. The rider did not attempt a counterattack and inwardly Samantha grimaced. _Whoever he may be, he understands that my style is strongest in the counter offensive. What can I do when deprived of my greatest advantage?_ Her mind erupted into overdrive analysis and she could imagine McGrath's patient voice, coaching her in observing her enemies. _Occupy him ... your allies arrive soon ..._

So instead of trying a direct contest, Samantha tried to circle the mystery rider, who still wasn't putting up much of an offense. Samantha tried to angle the mystery rider so as to place the sun at her back. A little farther ... it turned out to be a mistake when the rider suddenly broke and made a mad dash for Samantha's recon cycle. Samantha herself had longer legs, though, and with a quick dash instantly caught up to the mystery rider. She reached out and seized his shoulder, then had his back leg hooked in an instant and pulled backwards, hard. The mystery rider lost balance; Samantha completed the attack by planting down her sweeping leg and throwing herself into a powerful spin, catching the rider under the chin with her other foot and making a twisting spin that sent the rider flying away from her cycle. The kick caught the target at the exact proper location and the helmet sailed off the rider's head as he executed a skillful tech hit to land safely on the ground.

Samantha's breath caught in her throat as she considered the mystery rider with disbelieving eyes. It was no man at all, it was a woman - one with flaming tresses that cascaded down to her shoulders now that the helmet was gone. "Marin ...?"

The mystery rider stood up more erect and nodded. "I apologize, Samantha McGrath; I did not intend for this to occur."

"What have you done to my husband?" Samantha whispered, cautiously edging closer. "To my friends?"

"It is not yet time for you to learn of their fates," Marin replied. "I apologize, Samantha, I truly do, for the necessity of my actions. You will see them again when this has ended. Pardon the discourtesy; I must take my leave."

"Wait!"

"Samantha, you will awaken in your bed with no memory of what has occurred. Please hold no ill-will towards me for I must do this." Marin extended a hand towards Samantha and the _Phantom_ felt reality begin to dissolve. Was it only her imagination, or was the world beginning to lose coherence? And why did Marin's eyes look so inexpressibly sorrowful? "Sleep well, Samantha McGrath ... return to the light ... in another place ... another time ..." Samantha's eyelids fell and she knew no more.


	25. Quarterfinals I: Neo Commando Squad vs S...

**Quarterfinals I: Neo Commando Squad vs. Strike Force _Phantom_**

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**Author's Notes:** It's an update! Go me! Anyway, thanks to the insistence of everybody who's pressed for an update, here's a new chapter - finally. Before reading, let it be known that I really should not have to say this _again_, but please try to avoid story spoilers when reviewing. You're submitting reviews, after all, not story commentaries. Thanks.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Four days have passed _   
  
Kyosuke adjusted his tie as the technicians prepared the cameras. It was stifling hot in the newsroom, as always, but the part he hated most about his job was the makeup. Makeup! In order to appear photogenic, he had to wearing makeup! For the thousandth time Kyosuke wondered why his female friends enjoyed it so much; as far as he was concerned, it was a necessary evil that had to be endured. Behind the camera, a technician flashed a thumbs up at Kyosuke and the student turned reporter pasted a bright, sappy smile onto his face. "Good morning everyone and welcome back to the World Collision tournament. I'm Kyosuke Kagami, reporting live from Osaka Stadium. Before we head over to my colleague on the field, let's have a recap of the latest events.   
  
"In the first battle of the second match set, the Neo Commando Squad bulldozed Project Justice despite valiant resistance from the latter team." On the giant holoprojector, Commando and Ruby Heart countered Edgar and Kikoken's CleanSweep/Brilliance attack with their own Captain Shock/Pare-tonnare combo. "In the second battle of the match set, single entry Ernest McGrath was assassinated by the Master of the Fist, Akuma, but not before giving as good as he got. No footage is available of this battle and the opposing team, Strike Force _Phantom_, was automatically passed to the quarterfinals. In the third battle, excellent coordination amongst the members of the World Warrior team resulted in a surprisingly easy victory over the Lords of Shadowlaw." Again Ryu, Kirina, and Sagat blasted Bison into space with the Triple Obliterator. "In the final battle of the second match set, Dadallent quickly wore down the American Vigilantes in a repeat of his performance against the Police Investigators." Dadallent avoided Guile's powerful Somersault Strike and piledrove him back into the ground.   
  
"In conclusion, the four entries advancing to the quarterfinals are the Neo Commando Squad, Strike Force _Phantom_, the World Warrior Team, and Dadallent. Today's match pits the first two, both teams well-qualified, against each other. Let's head over to the field to get the pre-battle commentary by my colleague Jin Saotome, who is currently on the Great Wall of China. Jin, how's the weather in China?"   
  
The holoprojector refocused on a different locale. It was early morning in China; the wall lay wreathed in morning light, stretching in both directions as far as the eye could see. It was long but not particularly wide and made entirely of brick. There were a few clouds wandering overhead but not enough to justify an overcast description; sunlight reflecting off their undersides gave them a beautiful red and orange appearance. Also conspicuous by his absence was Jin himself. The camera panned around, giving the viewers a wonderful look at the great wall, when without warning Jin thrust himself straight into the camera lens and began yelling it down. "Two strong teams are fighting today! Can you the feel the tension, the excitement, the anticipation in the air?!"   
  
Kyosuke slammed his hand down on the mute button. "Erm, anyway, there you have it from the roving correspondent, ladies and gentlemen. Before we go back, let's take a look at how the two teams stack up. On the Neo Commando side, you have three strong team members spread across the board. The squad's theme seems to be balance; three strong fighters, but none of them are so strong as to be able to overshadow the other two and thus cause an overdependence on one fighter. On the opposite side, Strike Force _Phantom_ is also made of three skilled soldiers who have spent years training with each other, thus they know themselves better than any other team. While team captain Samantha is stronger than her teammates, again there is no overbalance of power. I'd say that this is a fairly even match. Let's head over to China and see the action live as it happens."   
  
"Good morning, captain," Samantha greeted courteously as Captain Commando and Ruby Heart appeared on the battlefield.   
  
"And to you, Samantha," Commando answered. What had happened to Samantha McGrath was no secret - one moment she'd been running down the corridor right after speaking with Regina, intent on intercepting Scott Wagner's kidnapper ... the next thing she knew, she was in bed and a whole day had gone by. Blake and Lloyd had found her in her room but nothing they tried could awaken her for a whole day; strangest of all, they told her that she had been hot on the trail of the kidnapper right before her signal was lost. Her Recon Cycle was on the edge of town and a brief inspection of its fuel cells showed that it had not been moved since it had wiped out. Blake, Lloyd, and Commando had all been healed earlier by Regina, but even the goddess could not be quite sure of what had happened to Samantha; all that Regina could tell was that a small part of Samantha's memory had been changed. Figuring out who had done it or what had been altered proved too difficult for Regina, and now Scott Wagner was also amongst the missing. Samantha felt helpless; they all did.   
  
The air blurred again as Strider Hiryu appeared out of thin air; to Samantha's polite nod he gave no reply, instead standing coldly off to the side. Hiryu had become grim and distant ever since Chan vanished; in some ways, he reminded Samantha more and more of Dadallent, albeit without the ever-present threatening aura. His Falchion shone in his right hand and he studied the battlefield with keen eyes that saw everything while revealing nothing.   
  
"He wants to win this fight, you know," Blake Wallis remarked, smoothly sliding up to stand next to his captain.   
  
"As do I," Samantha answered softly.   
  
"Strange, isn't it?" Blake continued. He kicked a pebble out of his way. "Come to think of it, everything we've been through ... all the relief missions to Africa and Asia, Operation Judgment, the War of Ascendancy ... at least, back then we knew exactly what we were up against. And when we were assigned to this operation, I thought it'd just be another routine mission. Instead here we are caught up in some divine chess game without really knowing the rules. Kinda makes you realize, doesn't it ...? Life really is too short to be wasted."   
  
"Blake ... surprising to hear such sentiment from you," Samantha answered, turning to face her teammate.   
  
"You sound a battle-weary veteran, Blake," Lloyd chuckled.   
  
"Don't worry about me, I'm not getting soft," Blake retorted, perhaps a bit faster than was necessary. "Doc McGrath would burst a vein laughing if he could see us now. Let's form up." When his two teammates nodded in agreement, he, Lloyd, and Samantha exchanged the special _Phantom_ handclasp. Blake and Lloyd strode off to the sides of the battleground where Jin had already worked himself into a frenzy. The two veterans both cast a glance at Jin before simultaneously shaking their heads at his antics.   
  
"Strike Force _Phantom_, name your tactical leader," Jedah ordered.   
  
"Here." Samantha raised a hand.   
  
Jedah noted the entry and turned to the other team. "Neo Commando Squad, name your tactical leader," he ordered.   
  
"That would be me." Captain Commando saluted smartly as Strider, Jedah, and Ruby Heart backed off. He pulled off his scarlet-tinted shades and wiped them off on his sleeve. "Whoever wins this match gets a chance to face Marin in the finals, Samantha. We're both on the same side and they're making us fight each other. One of us will advance, but ... the other won't. And what happens then in the semifinals?"   
  
"Do you truly believe that the Chaos Prince is so strong as to be able to defeat the World Warriors?" Samantha asked.   
  
Commando sighed. "I don't know. And it doesn't matter. Samantha, we're in the middle of a war here. Ryu and Sagat are true warriors - do you really think that they'll care anything about what happens so long as they can get a good fight? And the other contestant, Dadallent ... he knows the danger that we face better than anyone else, but he won't side with us. He doesn't care about what happens to us. No, whatever may happen here - regardless of whether you or I win this match - one of us _must_ win the following one, or else everything that we've worked for - _everything_ - could be lost! We have no real lead on Marin's motive, so let's not wait until it's too late to find out."   
  
"I concur, captain. Shall we proceed?" They shook hands before each assuming their respective fighting stances. The air on the Great Wall was cool and quiet, save for Jin and his ravings on the sidelines. Commando's gloved fingers slowly tightened into a fist as Samantha shifted her weight back onto one heel. Neither contestant spoke; rather, they locked eyes together as each one attempted to read the thoughts of the other.   
  
_Begin!_   
  
Commando had already moved before the flash of light faded away; in an instant, he had cleared the space between himself and Samantha with a powerful flying kick. Samantha responded with a long sidestep that took her out of the Captain Kick's vector and retaliated with a grounded Full-Moon Kick, sending her booted foot crashing right into Commando's stomach. Commando dropped to the ground with the force of a thrown brick. A striker assist from Ruby Heart prevented Samantha from following up on her advantage, but Lloyd appeared on her call and knocked Ruby Heart back out with a powerful staff swipe.   
  
Commando rolled away as Samantha stood her ground. Both sides simultaneously called for striker assists and this time Lloyd ran straight into a column of water summoned by Ruby Heart; using his teammate's attack to cover his own, Commando fired a stream of flames at Samantha. She dodged but only narrowed down the distance to within kicking range before lashing out with a powerful strike aimed at Commando's chest. Commando blocked the attacked and pushed back; Samantha withdrew her leg and settled into a ready cat stance, on the lookout for another attack. Behind her back, she called Lloyd in with her fingers and a moment later Commando nearly ate the attack as Lloyd came hurtling downwards heelfirst. Commando rolled away and Samantha whiffed an overhead Full-Moon Slam.   
  
"And right from the start the action is hot!" Kyosuke Kagami announced grandly. "Neither Commando nor Keychain are pulling any of their punches! Here comes Lloyd Cunningham with the assist - brilliantly countered by Ruby Heart! Blake Wallis is trying to get in an extra attack - no, wait, he's been knocked out of the arena by the Captain Collider. Strider's pulling his teleport assist ... and Samantha makes him pay for it! Minerva Kick right up his chin! Commando's really pulling out all the stops now, there he goes right for Samantha as she's recovering. Wow, eight hit aerial rave ending with Captain Fire! Jin, can I get your opinion on -"   
  
"This battle is fast and furious!" Jin screamed, thrusting himself right into the camera lenses as he began shouting the crewperson down. "No let up! No mercy! This is what I'm talking about, _full blown -!_"   
  
He fell silent as a grumbling Kyosuke slapped the mute button, though Jin's contorted face continued to dominate the holoprojector until the crews switched cameras, too. Jin's image blurred out to be replaced by one of Samantha gliding past Ruby Heart to kick Commando firmly in the stomach. A moment later, she cleanly lifted him off the ground and levered him around her body with that one leg, throwing him to the ground on the other side. Commando rolled away and prevented Samantha from chasing him, but he was clutching his sides with one hand when he rose. Lloyd jumped in for a staff swipe but Samantha did not attempt to close the distance. A frown on his face, Commando's eyes narrowed as he studied his opponent. He thought he saw an opening and dashed in with a punch; thus, the shock was considerable when Samantha kicked his arm aside with enough force to numb it. Commando hastily backstepped, which cost him somewhat in balance but saved him from a retaliatory kick.   
  
He tried again three times and all three times Samantha skillfully parried his attacks before striking back, but she declined to chase him down when he retreated, only sending in Lloyd for the occasional follow up attack. Trying to place Samantha between himself and a wall, Commando circled warily to the right. _A highly defensive style suited to her body ... she defends against the initial attack, then counterattacks as appropriate. And always intercepting me at her own extreme outer range while keeping me from getting too close to her ... but what if she couldn't do that?_ With sudden inspiration, Commando called in Ruby Heart for an assist and a later had pulled both of his hands into the air. "Captain ... Sword!"   
  
As expected, Samantha braced for the attack as an enormous pillar of material electricity appeared above Commando's head. Commando grunted under the sheer strain of moving so heavy an object, but he pulled his arms forward as he took a single step and wrenched his arms down. The massive electric beam cracked ominously as it descended with the force of a falling star, slamming down heavily into Samantha and knocking thousands of rock fragments loose from the Great Wall. Samantha staggered under the attack but her guard did not break. Having spent himself, Commando pulled himself upright as Ruby Heart flung an anchor at Samantha. Still in block stun, Samantha had no chance to evade the attack and a moment later was securely wrapped up in chains.   
  
Commando tagged out with his partner while Samantha struggled with the bindings. Lloyd's Sparrow Dagger hit only empty air; Ruby Heart, in the meanwhile, pulled out a small spellbook and began to chant. With a sudden and violent jerk uncharacteristic of her normally meticulous self, Samantha popped a link loose. Lloyd jumped in again and flung a dagger at Ruby Heart, but Strider also appeared and intercepted the attack halfway, knocking the dagger out of the air with his Cypher blade. Samantha loosened another link, but just as she began to pull the chains off Ruby Heart finished the spell and it went into effect.   
  
Right before Samantha's disbelieving eyes, a genuine pirate ship materialized out of thin air straight on a ramming course for her. It was worn and frayed, a reflection of the ship that Ruby Heart had lost in McGrath's battle against Akuma, but its wickedly jagged prow featured an enormous, razor-sharp spearhead nearly as large as Samantha herself. There was no time to dodge or defend; the ship collided into Samantha and she screamed horribly as the blade cut straight through her body. Nor was that all; the gun ports on the ship popped open, revealing tiered banks of cannons. There was a flash of light, then smoke and a roar of thunder before everything vanished and Samantha was blasted cleanly off the prow of the ship, rolling backwards along the length of the Great Wall to collapse at her teammates' feet. Blake and Lloyd instantly bent over their fallen leader, faces creased with concern.   
  
Samantha was still breathing, though she bled like a waterfall from more than two dozens wounds. Lloyd jumped in to take her place in the battle as Blake pulled her to the side; unfortunately, Lloyd came under assault immediately from Ruby Heart supported by Strider. Swearing at the abysmal change in fortune, Blake rushed forward to cover Lloyd and caught Ruby Heart solidly under the chin with his Wolf Rush. Perhaps he might have held back earlier, but infuriated by what had happened to his leader, Blake unleashed his fury and channeled all of his rage into that single attack. But he was appalled nonetheless when Ruby Heart's head snapped back like a flung rag doll's and she went off her feet. Lloyd needed no second opportunity; he broke into a flat run and intercepted Ruby Heart halfway down, breaking out into his rendition of the Mayhem Rampage. The attack finished with a powerful Scissor Kick that knocked Ruby Heart cleanly off the wall.   
  
Gill caught Ruby Heart as she tumbled off the battleground while Strider stepped in. Having done his part, Blake returned to the sidelines to tend to Samantha, only that ... "Wha -! Where'd Samantha go?!" In the place where he and Lloyd had laid their fallen leader, there was only a large pool of rapidly drying blood.   
  
"I am here, Blake."   
  
Blake whirled around and stared; so did Lloyd and even Strider appeared faintly surprised. Samantha tilted her head to one side and directed a curious look at her teammate. Her velvet clothes were still bloodstained, but her skin was once more unbroken and when she strode up to stand by Blake she certainly did not move as though injured. As Samantha passed Blake, he saw the other person who had been hidden behind her. Regina smiled and explained, "She was about to bleed to death. If I had waited any longer, she would have."   
  
"Thanks again, Regina," Blake said, dipping his head. "It seems like you're always pulling us out of - _son of a jumping jukebox, Lloyd!_" Blake rushed past Samantha and Regina back into the battle, where Strider was mercilessly beating down Lloyd's guard with repeated Cypher slashes. Regina watched him go with a concerned look before smiling to herself and then walking off to deal with Ruby Heart. As Strider prepared another slash, Blake charged and lowered his head. Strider flung his Cypher blade and Lloyd deflected it upwards, both weapons ringing as their metallic surfaces glanced off each other. Having knocked both himself and his opponent off balance, Lloyd stepped back just a little and allowed Blake to rush through the opening. Blake seized Strider around the waist, dropped backwards, and in the next moment introduced Strider to the brick wall facefirst.   
  
Wiping a trickle of blood away from his chin, Strider snarled and gave a two-fingered salute. His Options materialized out of thin air around him, four of them orbiting his body. Lloyd flung a Sparrow Dagger at Strider but it shattered harmlessly off one of the ninja's Options. A moment later Strider vanished into the air and Lloyd instinctively rolled forward, dodging Strider's next attack as the ninja reappeared above him. But Strider caught up in an instant and then began laying into Lloyd; Blake, appearing to assist again, was knocked out of his attack by the Options. "Unbelievable!" Jin screamed ecstatically. "Thirty-five hit combo!"   
  
As the Options dispersed, Captain Commando jumped into the battle and rammed his fist into the ground, producing an enormous pillar of electricity that sent Lloyd flying. The British man landed hard against a wall and slowly staggered to his feet, but Strider was already upon him. One overhead slash appeared as Lloyd frantically blocked; to his shock and disbelief, the Cypher blade landed heavily on his staff and his weapon broke under the attack with a loud ring. Lloyd ducked under the next slash and hastily switched out with Blake.   
  
Without a single pause in motion, Strider ran forward and twisted his body into a spiral, flinging the Cypher blade in front of himself. Blake knocked the weapon downwards by the flat of its blade, then threw a retaliatory hook punch at Strider as he took a step forward. The ninja blocked the attack with one hand but that wasn't quite enough to stop it from smashing into his temples. Snarling, Strider backed up only to see Blake follow, hugging him quite closely with a storm of close-range elbow and knee strikes. It was only after Captain Commando appeared with a Collider assist that Strider was able to secure any breathing room; even so, once the Collider had vanished Blake rushed Strider with a cry of "Game over!"   
  
Teeth gritted, Strider teleported away and landed behind the charging _Phantom._ Unfortunately, Lloyd had also appeared and Strider gasped more from shock than pain when a pair of Sparrow Daggers shattered off his back. Shrapnel shot through his cloth uniform and Strider instantly began to feel himself bleed. Farther ahead, Commando sent Blake sailing through the air with a Captain Kick. Willing himself to ignore the pain that had begun to throb through his body, Strider met Blake in midair and began to lay into him with a barrage of attacks. Strider struck at his opponent's torso multiple times before finally finishing with his air-dash Excalibur, sending Blake rolling back to the ground. The _Phantom_ landed heavily before bouncing back to his feet, while Strider himself fell into a crouch and shot a baleful glare at the overexcited Jin Saotome before returning his attention to Blake.   
  
Blake charged forward again with a wild swing, but Strider kept him at a distance with controlled thrusts of the Cypher blade. When Blake tried a fancy dodge-roll, Strider simply leapt up and let Commando enter with another deadly Captain Collider. This attack sent Blake reeling, an opening that Strider quickly jumped in to exploit. Blake took the first hit of Strider's attack but blocked the second; a moment later, he tried to turn the tables on the ninja by throwing a vicious spinning kick. Strider blocked the attack, which was exactly what Blake wanted. Using his opponent to stop his movement, Blake skidded to a halt and rushed Strider at point-blank range, intending to tackle him.   
  
And Strider, as it turned out, would have none of that. He ducked and swung his Cypher blade upwards, though his muscles strained with the effort. Caught by the flat of the sword, Blake flew into the air, hard, and Strider leapt after him with his grappling hook in his left hand. The ninja caught up with the _Phantom_ and swung the hook down, snaring Blake under the chin; a moment later, both of them were falling back to the ground. Strider forced his arm down as Blake wrestled with the grappling hook. Just before impact, Blake suddenly unleashed a punch at point-blank range and caught Strider completely by surprise. Strider fell away from Blake but the _Phantom_ crashed heavily into the wall regardless and yelped in pain.   
  
Strider landed more softly, rolling away to dissipate the worst of the impact. He recovered instantly and was upon Blake in a flash, signaling Commando for an assist as well as calling in a mechanical tiger. Strider rushed through the opening that his assists had created, Lloyd's vicious overhead strike whiffing completely on Strider. Left without much of a chance to defend, Blake lay exposed to Strider's powerful combination attacks. "Nine hit ground chain!" Jin Saotome screamed as he danced on the edge of the battlefield.   
  
"Somebody needs to put a leash on that fellow," Captain Commando growled out of the corner of his mouth to Samantha as he cast a jaundiced eye at Jin. Farther to the side, Regina and a recently-healed Ruby Heart sat down together on the stones for a heart-to-heart talk.   
  
Blake staggered upright, wiping away blood from the corner of his mouth. Farther back Lloyd was frantically signaling for Blake to switch with him, but the younger _Phantom_ stubbornly ignored his teammate's signs and instead opted to circle around Strider again. Shaking his head in exasperation - why would Blake simply refuse to fall? - Strider lifted his blade again and ran his fingers down its length. A warning shout from Lloyd caused Blake to refocus on Strider and drop into a defensive stance, but as the first mighty slash of Strider's enormous Masamune attack slid by it sheared cleanly through Blake's crossed arms. The young _Phantom_'s guard broke apart and Strider's next two attacks smashed through Blake, leaving him a bleeding and broken wreckage on the ground, staggering on one arm and both legs.   
  
Strider crossed his arms and brought the Cypher blade level with his face in an odd sort of salute, the blade pointing straight upwards. He broke into a short dash aimed directly at Blake, moving his Cypher blade to the side at the last moment -   
  
And when he did so, Blake retaliated with impossible speed, forcing himself off the ground in the nick of time to intercept Strider's dash. Blake caught Strider by the shoulders and instantly overprioritized the other man. Faster than the eye could track, Blake's fist crashed into Strider with the force of a runaway train and the ninja crumpled to his knees, but the attack had only begun. The Bandit Wolf Slayer's multiple attacks rang out in quick succession like the staccato fire of a machine gun as Blake beat Strider down with his desperate last attack, a powerful energy that he did not entirely understand surging through his veins. There was a sickening crack as Strider's jaw gave way under the last attack and he was sent flying backwards under the weight of the Wolf Slayer's power.   
  
Blake paused only to watch Strider flop to the ground like a beaten rag before he himself collapsed. "And Blake Wallis's Bandit Wolf Slayer results in a double K.O.!" Kyosuke proclaimed. "Ladies and gentlemen, this exciting match is truly coming down to the final blow, with Captain Commando squaring off against Lloyd Cunningham! This is the first team match when the battle comes down to a one-on-one between the last team members! Amazingly enough, it seems like Ruby Heart and Samantha McGrath have both completely recovered while they were off the cameras! Let's go back to the field, shall we?"   
  
Lloyd circled around Commando and flung a dagger which Commando avoided by rolling to the side. It was obvious upon first glance that Commando was much fresher than his _Phantom_ counterpart, and Commando tried to press his advantage by steadily narrowing down the distance between himself and Lloyd. The British man tried to keep him at a distance, but without his staff the best he could attempt were long-range kicks and the occasional dagger. Commando fired off a stream of flames from his glove and Lloyd wrapped himself in his great overcoat, allowing the fire to flow harmlessly off his body. During the delay, however, Commando took the opportunity to roll along the length of the wall and finally close the remaining distance between himself and Lloyd. They traded a dozen blows before Commando landed a stomp on Lloyd's leg, then instantly rammed his glove into the ground and caused a titanic surge of electricity to geyser upwards.   
  
"Lloyd!" Samantha cried.   
  
The British man collapsed against the edge of the wall, but only for a moment before he stirred and picked himself up again. He was wary and on guard now, watchful for sudden movements on Commando's part. Commando, for his part, pressed the attack closer to where Samantha was watching. Lloyd tried to fight more defensively but he was obviously outmatched, nearly spent of his weapons and lacking his combat staff. When Commando threw a spinning kick that hugged the floor, Lloyd attempted his last resort, pulling out his grapple hook and launching it upwards where it snagged a nearby battlement atop a watchtower. He dodged Commando's sweep and in an instant was flying up. Commando reflexively lashed back with a punch as he arose, but of course Lloyd was beyond him at this point. The _Phantom_ righted himself, flipped in midair, and descended downwards as quickly as he could. Lloyd aimed straight for the back of Commando's exposed neck, intending to knock Commando out with the sheer trauma of his blow.   
  
"Captain Collider!"   
  
And the veteran _Phantom_ crumpled to the ground, all the fight beaten out of him. Breathing heavily, Commando stared for a long, tense moment at the foot of the tower where Lloyd had crashed into the brick. Then he slowly dusted himself off with much dignity as he rose to face Samantha. "You _Phantoms_ fought very well. McGrath would have been proud."   
  
"I concede the victory to you, captain," Samantha answered graciously.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan   
Two days have passed _   
  
"Get some sleep, Regina," Sagat advised from his formidable seven-foot and counting height.   
  
"I'll be fine, Sagat, at least for another two hours," Regina answered. "But thank you for your concern." The Muay Thai fighter nodded acquiescence and left the lounge, his heavy footsteps causing the ground to vibrate somewhat as he stalked off towards his own room. Samantha had returned to the IDC headquarters located in the Philippines; Lloyd, for his part, had been in a transmission to IDC headquarters when his side of the conversation abruptly broke off. That left Blake as the sole remaining member of the _Phantoms_ and he had exhausted himself staying awake and alert for as long as possible. After Lloyd's disappearance, Regina had volunteered to watch over Blake. There was speculation between Commando and Sagat that Regina did not sleep at all; she certainly seemed to be constantly active.   
  
Blake lay sprawled irreligiously and snoring softly on the couch, having fallen asleep with a book over his face from sheer fatigue. Regina was seated on the edge of the couch and she gently stroked Blake's hair, humming a soothing song. It was late at night and everyone else had already gone to bed, in Ruby Heart's case some three hours earlier. The hotel was deserted save for the late night security guards and the occasional janitor. Regina, who knew every person by name, greeted them silently as they came and went.   
  
One hour passed, then two, as Regina continued to softly sing her restorative song. Any of the normal BEAT patrols might have found the duty dull, but Regina was a goddess, after all. Just as she began to blink and yawn, a familiar and powerful aura neared and Regina half-turned to address the new arrival. "Yes?"   
  
"What is your decision?" Dadallent asked, sliding around the couch to face Regina.   
  
"Decision?" Regina echoed. "I'm afraid I don't understand."   
  
"Do you side with this world, or with your sister goddess?" Dadallent repeated in a low voice, as though explaining an abstract concept to a child. He paused and glanced down at Blake before turning his face to Regina; in spite of the ever-present blindfold, there was always the unnerving sensation that Dadallent saw far more than he should have. To Regina, whose spiritual senses were far more sensitive than her physical ones, Dadallent exuded a threatening aura that fell just short of being outright hostility. It disconcerted her in a way that no human should have been able to. Directly in between them, Blake snored obliviously.   
  
"Actually, Marin and I are half-sisters," Regina answered, dodging Dadallent's question. "We were born of the same mother but sired by different fathers. Still, I'm closer to her than many blood sisters can claim to be. Besides being sisters, we also stand in the relationship of inseparable friends." Regina smiled as she said this last part. She again turned and gently resumed stroking Blake's hair. Dadallent folded his arms wordlessly across his chest while Regina avoided his "gaze." An awkward silence ensued that lasted for some time.   
  
Regina finally yawned again and glanced at the clock in the lounge. "Four in the morning ... Dadallent, would you please watch Blake for me? I'll be back in a hour after I rest."   
  
"Very well, goddess." Dadallent offered Regina his hand and pulled her to her feet; she thanked him and slipped from the room, shaking her head clear as she did so. Dadallent dispassionately glanced down at his ward and withdrew to the far side of the room, observing Blake from a distance as the _Phantom_ snored without a care in the world. He pulled out his sword and began to polish the blade against his scarf, laying the sheath to one side as he did so. The only audible sound was that of the grandfather clock in the back of the room.   
  
Fifty minutes marched by.   
  
Blake stirred, stretched expansively, and landed hard on the carpet after overextending his limbs. "Ow! Oh, man, my aching back ... that's the last time I sleep on a soft surface. What time is it ... five in the morning, blast it ... rise and shine, the early bird gets the worm." Still grumbling good-naturedly to himself, Blake stood up, stretched, and yawned loudly. It was only upon turning around that he caught sight of Dadallent. "Wha -? Don't scare me like that, man! How long have you been here?"   
  
"I am watching you in the goddess' place," Dadallent replied shortly. "She should return at any moment."   
  
"And how long ago did Regina -" Blake was about to question the Chaos Prince further, but at this point he was abruptly interrupted. Something must have triggered a warning in his mind as Blake lunged off the sofa and dove forward, but he was already too late. From above, a brilliant light materialized out of nowhere and beamed down squarely upon him, catching him in midjump. In an instant Blake was pinned in midair and left unable to move as the light swiftly expanded to about his own width. Golden beams shone downwards, illuminating every dust mote in brilliant hues. Before the _Phantom_'s disbelieving eyes, a scroll of paper seemed to materialize upon the ground and unroll itself, revealing an entirely blank parchment. Blake struggled to move without any result; he was still disoriented, everything was occurring so swiftly. "Dadallent! Help!"   
  
The Chaos Prince regarded the struggling _Phantom_ impassively, arms folded across his chest. Dadallent moved not an inch as Blake freed an arm and, with a mighty effort, squirmed forward reaching to him. He came within easy arm's distance for Dadallent, but the shrouded warrior stood as he was. Underneath Blake, the scroll had begun to exert a suction force. He screamed aloud as the light began to inexorably drag him downwards. "Help me, damn you! Dadallent!" Blake's voice echoed back to him in a strange way and he realized to his horror that there was also an invisible sound shield, designed to prevent his voice from reaching anyone else.   
  
"I was asked only to watch you," Dadallent stated coldly. "Fend for yourself."   
  
"You bastard," Blake snarled, "I hope you rot in hell for thi -" The rest of the sentence was lost as he was forcefully pulled right into the paper parchment. Blake's body vanished in an instant as he was pulled _into_ the scroll, trapped in a sheet of flatness. Had any observer been present, he would have seen blood-colored runes materialize on the surface of the scroll and lock the _Phantom_ securely behind themselves. Behind the bloody runes, a two-dimensional image of Blake hammered helplessly at the paper before it abruptly rolled up. Gold thread appeared out of nowhere and bound the scroll tightly, rolling up thrice along the length of the paper to form three separate seals. Then it rose through the air, carried in the column of light, until it vanished at the apex of the glowing curtain.   
  
When the last flicker of divine light had died away, Dadallent silently stalked out of the room. 


	26. Quarterfinals II: World Warrior Team vs ...

**Quarterfinals II: World Warrior Team vs. Dadallent**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** And the next chapter is up! As promised, here's the surprise: a new soundtrack uploaded to the website, which is Dadallent's battle theme. Like the man himself, the music is eerie, ambient, subtle, and you're really not sure what to make of it. Find the link, as always, in the author's profile. End of the tournament is coming up! One more battle, and then the last, fateful match will occur.

* * *

_ Woodlark Island, Papua New Guinea  
Three days have passed _  
  
"Woodlark Island, a tropical paradise if one ever existed. Populated by exotic songbirds, filled with fruit trees, and commanding a clear view of the ocean all around, it is inhabited only by a few hardy citizens who live on its north coast, making their livelihood through fishing. Today, the weather here is clear and the sun bright, making the chosen location for our battle exceedingly warm. The battleground is set upon a plateau in the center of the island, giving our contestants a wide open space in which to fight. I'm heading over to interview the World Warrior team." Kyosuke Kagami nodded to the camera and deadened his earphones before Jin could start screaming again. For today's fight, it had been agreed earlier that Jin and Kyosuke would exchange places.  
  
Kyosuke tugged at his tie as he narrowed down the distance to where Ryu stood. "Hello Ryu, this is Kyosuke Kagami, special World Collision news reporter. Would you mind answering questions for our viewers? No? Thank you. First off, Ryu, what do you think of your team's progress in the tournament?"  
  
Ryu tilted his head to the side. "Well, Kyosuke, I think I speak for all three of us when I say that this has been a great learning experience. All of our battles leading up to this one make us stronger. I think we're starting to really become a 'team' in the truest sense of the word - we're trained to fight alone and we've had to overcome that mentality to participate in this tournament. So on the whole I'm very pleased with how the team has performed."  
  
"Your opponent is the dreaded Chaos Prince," Kyosuke continued. "Ryu, you've fought him once before. What do you think of your chances now?"  
  
"It's been ... what, eight years or so?" Ryu asked, glancing upwards thoughtfully. "I know I've become stronger since our fight and I heard that he has too, so I'm certainly looking forward to meeting Dadallent again on the field of battle. It'll be a good learning experience to see what he's capable of doing now. Also, my teammates have never fought him before. So I'm really hoping that this turns out to be a way for all of us to learn something new."  
  
"Ryu, you and Ken were nearly killed in your previous battle against him. Aren't you worried at all?"  
  
Ryu shook his head confidently. "Not this time. No offense to Ken, but this time around I've a much stronger team at my back; besides, the rules prohibit killing attacks and Dadallent is, after all, a true warrior so he'll certainly follow them. So no, I'm not worried about dying, at least not today."  
  
"One last question, Ryu. Would you explain your lineup for today's fight?"  
  
"I may be a true warrior, Kyosuke, but in order to progress we still have to win, right? We're at a disadvantage in this fight since we're no longer allowed to assist each other. Alone, none of us can match the Chaos Prince. So our strategy is to prolong the fight over as much time as possible, wearing him down. I'll start off since I know Dadallent a little and Sagat will follow me once I'm out; hopefully, the fight will end then, but if not Kirina is waiting at the end of the line." Ryu adjusted his crimson headband and tightened his gloves. "Like I said, this is basically a contest of who can last longer."  
  
"Thank you, Ryu. Ladies and gentlemen, Ryu the eternal challenger. Thank you for your time." Ryu nodded courteously and strode off to the center of the battleground where the judges awaited him. "Today's match certainly promises to be an interesting one, ladies and gentlemen. Ryu and Dadallent have fought before in the past. On one side you have the infamous Chaos Prince and on the other the pair of the eternal challenger and the Emperor of Muay Thai. So far, the third member Kirina Houshi has showed herself more of a liability than an asset to the team, but this tournament hasn't ended yet. If Ryu's plan works, it could be Kirina who saves the team in the end. Back to you, Jin."  
  
"_This will be a match to remember!_" Jin roared into his microphone.  
  
"Certainly good ground we have here," Sagat noted approvingly, stamping the ground with a foot. "Nice and firm. Lots of open area, too." He swept the whole battlefield with an experienced eye, noting the placement of each and every little obstacle. They stood on the edge of an open plateau, the sky meeting the ocean all around them on the horizon. Formally this plateau measured a good fifty by eighty meters. Looking off the side, Sagat could see fishing villages upon the coast if he squinted carefully. Beside him, Kirina gave her Muramasa blade a final inspection before sheathing it across her back.  
  
"World Warrior team, please name your tactical leader," Gill boomed.  
  
"Here," Ryu raised a hand. Gill noted down the entry as he and Jedah strode off to the sides. Ryu, for his part, wondered why the tournament had bothered with referees at all. Gill and Jedah seemed to do nothing other than watch from the sidelines and talk amongst themselves. Shaking his head a bit to clear his mind, Ryu forced himself to concentrate on the upcoming battle. Now alone, he concentrated entirely upon the small area where Dadallent waited for him, motionless. A glance at the Chaos Prince sent shivers running up his spine; he was indeed much more powerful than Ryu had remembered. Dadallent turned his head slightly, giving Ryu the uneasy feeling that he was being watched and analyzed.  
  
Dadallent seemed to glance behind Ryu before he stated, "The wanderer. The emperor. The lady knight."  
  
"Who are you ...?" Ryu asked. "There's this terrible power that I sense within you ..."  
  
"Envy me not, this is a curse I would not wish upon my worst enemies."  
  
"Eight years, Dadallent. Eight years. What have you learned?"  
  
The Chaos Prince unfolded his arms as he slowly followed Ryu into a fighting stance, one arm held protectively in front of his face, the other back in striking position. "There is but one way to find out, Ryu. I remember you well, you were the one who fought with a burning spirit even when your body was broken. I want to see for myself if you still have any of that spirit left within you. Show me all that you have, Ryu, challenger."

_Begin!_  
  
"_The fight is on!_" Jin roared.  
  
Ryu began the battle with his trademark attack, launching a Hadouken at Dadallent; however, the Chaos Prince had already moved off the center. In an instant he had narrowed the distance to Ryu down to halfway and lashed out with a powerful spinning kick, knocking Ryu backwards when the Ansatsuken fighter failed to block in time. Sent tumbling, Ryu rolled into a safe recovery and stood up cautiously. Dadallent hadn't attempted to exploit his advantage; in fact, he was simply standing where he had struck, "looking" at Ryu. Ryu grimaced; Dadallent was faster than he had remembered, though goodness knew he had been fast enough eight years ago. Ryu launched another Hadouken and Dadallent gracefully sidestepped it.  
  
Ryu's eyes narrowed. Unlike Akuma and McGrath, to his experience Dadallent was not the type of warrior who fought in close combat for the sake of making a quick kill. Instead, the Chaos Prince liked to dance with his enemy and wear him down until he could be dispatched in one brutal attack. Ryu also wondered how Dadallent coped with the weather. It was blazing hot and yet the man was completely shrouded in his black ninja uniform, showing no sign of weakness. Ryu broke into a run and rushed Dadallent, dropping into a roll at the last moment that was meant to surprise his opponent. The ground felt hard and dusty as he slid into his roll; Ryu unfurled and launched a Shoryuken, only to realize to his dismay that Dadallent had moved again and was directly behind him. Ryu desperately twisted around in midair, but Dadallent was already attacking and nearly broke Ryu's ankle with a high kick. Pain lanced up through his leg and he winced with effort as he tried to calm the force of his Shoryuken, finally twisting around at the apex of his jump to launch a Hadouken downwards. Dadallent jumped too, taking the fireball squarely in the chest. Ryu grimaced inwardly; he'd used up far too much energy negating the force of his ill-advised Shoryuken and so the fireball lacked any sort of stopping power. Dadallent reached Ryu's height and pulled him into a vicious rolling throw.  
  
Disoriented by the rapid movement, Ryu tried to break free and he gritted his teeth with effort as he strove to break Dadallent's dead lock. Ken had a similar midair throw, but Dadallent's was faster and more tightly controlled. Just as Ryu finally pulled one arm off, he was slammed hard into the ground and all the breath fled his body with a gasp. Dadallent took the opportunity to roll off Ryu's body and land on his own feet.  
  
Ryu tasted blood in his mouth as he rose to his feet, trying to push out the worried looks that Sagat and Kirina were sending his way. _I'm not doing any better than Charlie or Chun-Li did. This has got to stop. Now McGrath said that Dadallent could take physical damage that would break a nuclear bunker, but he's as vulnerable as the next person to an energy-based attack._ Ryu cupped his hands together as a white glow began to emanate from his palms and energy collected all over his body. He concentrated hard, calling up reserves of his power. "Shinkuu ..."  
  
Dadallent took a half-step to the right ...  
  
"Hadouken!" With a mighty cry, Ryu unleashed an enormous beam of energy at the space Dadallent stepped into - only to realize that his opponent, in fact, had not. The Shinkuu Hadouken streamed through empty space as Dadallent withdrew his leg from the feint and Ryu mentally cursed. He couldn't redirect his beam, not without cutting it off entirely, and Dadallent was again moving with that impossible speed which characterized his method of combat ... Dadallent struck hard and the Shinkuu Hadouken died in midblast as Ryu doubled over from the impact, tasting the blood that pooled into his mouth. Nor was that all; an elbow crashed into the back of his neck and forced him downwards, only for the fall to stop abruptly as Ryu's forehead met Dadallent's knee. Stars exploded into Ryu's vision as pain flared from the three separate attacks. With a grunt, Dadallent hooked Ryu's battered ankle and threw him aside.  
  
Still, there was plenty of fight left in Ryu as he staggered to his feet. Dadallent blurred out, but Ryu had seen this particular technique in the Chaos Prince's fight against Chun-Li and retaliated with a powerful Shoryuken, his fist ramming solidly into Dadallent's solar plexus as the Chaos Prince dropped out of the sky with a swift kick. Upon impact, Ryu felt Dadallent's flesh give way beneath his fist as his dangerous opponent was knocked cleanly out of the Ninja Twirl. Dadallent fell backwards and righted himself in midair, leaving Ryu with a half-developed sense of satisfaction. Pulling that Shoryuken had strained his muscles to the breaking point.  
  
Ryu faked a fireball; Dadallent moved not an inch and Ryu felt his ears turn red as he convinced himself that he must seem particularly stupid-looking to the spectators. Dadallent simply looked at him and Ryu realized that the Chaos Prince had been insulted by the gesture. The pain in his body throbbed dully as he summoned his energy for another fireball and hurled it at Dadallent. Dadallent dodged out of the way, rolling under the Hadou blast to emerge directly in front of Ryu. He struck with the speed of an uncoiling viper, but this time Ryu was ready and caught the attack on his wristguards.  
  
His guard nearly shattered under that single blow. The shock of the attack lanced through his skeletal frame and stunned him for a brief moment before he recovered and retaliated with a powerful Hurricane Kick. This attack whiffed entirely, but at least it carried him out of range of Dadallent's strike. Ryu landed on a particularly rocky part of the battleground and braced himself as Dadallent circled in again. They exchanged a score of blows before Dadallent stepped to the left and drew his right hand across his chest. Ryu's punch shot through the space that Dadallent had cleared just a moment earlier and Dadallent's own hand raked Ryu's. Contact came in the form of a finger skimming under Ryu's wrist; there was hardly any touch, but when Ryu withdrew his hand he was stunned to find that it fountained blood from the wrist.  
  
"Daddy!" Kirina cried, equally appalled.  
  
"Hang in there, Ryu ..." Sagat whispered in a strained voice.  
  
"You're not faring any better than you did the last time we met," Dadallent noted, disapproval dripping from his voice. "Don't give up yet, Ryu."  
  
Ryu pulled his wristguard further down to stanch the flow of blood; specks of red had appeared on his dirty white uniform. Apparently Dadallent had also sliced at least one of his tendons as a very peculiar sort of pain was throbbing up his arm. Ryu tightened a fist experimentally; at least his fingers still responded properly. But he abruptly ran out of time for further testing when Dadallent pulled off his scabbard from his back and swung it at Ryu. Ryu ducked the blow and tried a low-lying sweep, but the attack backfired when Dadallent stomped on his ankle and stuffed the kick. The Chaos Prince then took advantage of his opponent's reduced mobility to ram the heavy sheath into Ryu's stomach and drive all of the wind out of him. A moment later, he'd kicked Ryu away from the center of the battlefield. When Ryu tried a retaliatory Hadouken with only his left hand, Dadallent feinted to the left before blurring to the right and striking back with a ground-hugging fireball of his own.  
  
And Ryu had a flash of inspiration. "Shinkuu -!" he announced, cupping his hands together and biting back the agony that pulsed up his right hand. Energy swirled around him, gathering into his hands as a dark red glow formed in his palms. Dadallent must have sensed the attack despite his blindfold, for his stance altered very slightly in order to give him an advantage in mobility. Ryu focused harder, forcing more energy into his palms despite the burning sensation that began to seep through his skin. His teeth gritted with effort as rivulets of sweat poured down his face. Up ahead, Dadallent had sensed that something was wrong, that his opponent should have released the attack by now but for some reason had not. Ryu felt as though his hands would melt into charred flesh from the effort of holding back his attack. When he finally reached the breaking point, he unleashed the attack with all the remaining force that he could muster.  
  
"_Hadouken!_"  
  
A massive ball of dark crimson fire erupted from Ryu's palms and blazed towards Dadallent like a runaway comet. The Chaos Prince reacted with superhuman speed, dodging to the side as Ryu slumped over from the effort of using the attack, but the eternal challenger hadn't finished yet, bracing himself for yet another mighty effort. Concentrating again, Ryu focused more energy into his palms, at the same time grimly realizing that if this tactic failed, it was over for him. Dadallent had moved entirely off the dark red fireball's target trajectory, but it was angled downwards. The mass of concentrated energy plowed into the ground and exploded, sending an enormous hemisphere of violet fire erupting in all directions. Caught by surprise, Dadallent bolted away but even he wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the explosion. The fiery sphere of the Denjin Hadouken engulfed him and when its flames had burnt out Dadallent presented a very different image. He knelt on the ground very obviously wounded, holding his right arm with his left, his uniform in charred tatters.  
  
Ryu wasted no time in following up on his momentary advantage, though the effort of calling up ever more energy from his depleted reserve was wearing him down. In the back of his mind, a small but insistent voice warned him against draining himself so much. But as Dadallent stirred, Ryu's thinking was abruptly cut off by the urgency of the situation and he unleashed a less potent version of the Shinkuu Hadouken. Nevertheless, it was still a beam cannon that tore through the air and homed in on Dadallent, finding its mark with true precision. Dadallent screamed - it was a horrible cry - as the pure white energy of Ryu's attack lanced straight through him. Ryu's pain was no less great and he hazily wondered if he would faint from the effort of such a strenuous attack.  
  
"Amazing comeback on Ryu's part, ladies and gentlemen!" Kyosuke raved excitedly. "Just when you thought he was getting the worst of it, Ryu tricked the Chaos Prince with a miscalled Denjin Hadouken. And then he blasted the Chaos Prince like a sitting duck with his Shinkuu version! Dadallent's recovered somewhat, but he's definitely moving a lot less slowly than he used to. It looks like he's done playing with Ryu - yup, five hit ground rave there - Dadallent's going for the kill, no doubt of that. It's unlikely that Ryu will last much longer under the onslaught of - _amazing_! Dadallent has Ryu locked straight into the Ravage Assault!"  
  
_I still can't defeat Dadallent ..._ It was Ryu's last flickering thought before darkness claimed him.  
  
"Here comes the Emperor of Muay Thai looking decidedly angry," Kyosuke continued. "Sagat is getting up close and brutal right off the bat! He's got Dadallent pinned under a storm of close-range elbow and knee attacks, but it looks like the Chaos Prince is having none of that. So far they seem about evenly matched - no, wait, Sagat just landed a powerful uppercut! And Dadallent isn't even affected by that? Incredible, ladies and gentlemen, Dadallent's stamina is nothing short of incredible. For those of you who've just joined us, our current match-up pits the Emperor of Muay Thai against the Chaos Prince. Muay Thai is generally a close-range and very vicious style that wears its target down with the sheer force of its attacks, but against an opponent as dangerous as Dadallent Sagat might be well-advised to watch himself."  
  
"The emperor ..." Dadallent whispered.  
  
Sagat's tactics suddenly changed as Dadallent backflipped to put several meters' worth of separation between himself and Sagat. The Chaos Prince was dangerously close to the edge of the battlefield, only two or three meters separating him from a drop off the plateau and into eternity. A stream of energy blazed by and he ducked under it; Sagat wound up for another Tiger Shot and this time it skimmed along the ground. Dadallent sidestepped it, at the same time dropping to the rocky surface of the plateau and sinking his fist into it. A bright plume of fire emerged and rushed with terrible speed towards the Emperor of Muay Thai. This Sagat easily blocked, but in doing so he gave Dadallent the necessary time to swiftly teleport and strike his vulnerable rear. Despite being perhaps only half of Sagat's weight, Dadallent easily floored his opponent and drove his fist into Sagat's exposed stomach.  
  
Sagat felt all of the wind expelled from his body with that single blow as unimaginable pain emanated from the point of contact. He forced himself to throw Dadallent off and pulled to his feet, but the effort of doing so cost him dearly and he wondered just how many of his organs Dadallent might have destroyed with that single punch. When he resumed his fighting stance, it was with one fist held low near his stomach to prevent repeat episodes. Gradually the sharp pain of the initial contact died down to be replaced by the dull, throbbing pain of a past wound. Sagat fired off another Tiger Shot and Dadallent instantly countered with the Ninja Twirl, only this time he reappeared under Sagat instead of above him. The net result was that Sagat launched an uppercut which missed entirely, as did Dadallent's Ninja Twirl. However, Dadallent's move was the one that suffered less from cooldown and he was waiting for Sagat when the Emperor of Muay Thai descended. Sagat blocked an initial punch, but it drove him off balance and when he tried to roll backwards Dadallent dashed at him and locked down his knee.  
  
Only Sagat's top physical condition saved him from losing that knee right there; as it was, the bone nearly gave anyways. Bracing himself, Sagat launched a Tiger Shot at point-blank range right into Dadallent's face and had the satisfaction of seeing the Chaos Prince knocked back as though hit by a sledgehammer. Sagat staggered to his feet; Dadallent himself seemed none too healthy, but he too forced a recovery and for a moment the two opponents glared at each other from a respectable five meter separation. Dadallent's guard had dropped ever so slightly and Sagat took that as an indication that he and Ryu had indeed worn their dangerous opponent down. Sagat focused energy into his palms, more energy than he had yet used, and with a roar of "Tiger!" unleashed a massive fireball that hurtled towards Dadallent.  
  
Predictably, Dadallent countered by vanishing into a haze of smoke. He reappeared an instant later directly behind Sagat, only to find out far too late that his opponent had also turned around. Sagat's arms shot out again and Dadallent ran straight into a fireball nearly as large as he was; the sheer force of the attack knocked him backwards into the air as he tumbled, but Sagat hadn't finished yet. The third and final Tiger Cannon careened without mercy into Dadallent and blasted him yet further from Sagat. He landed heavily on the dusty ground - none of the graceful air recoveries that he had used up to that point - and he was not swift in rising, either.  
  
Sagat allowed himself a small smile as he dashed forward to exploit the opening. He had an advantage now that Dadallent had been thoroughly beaten in quick succession by two of Ryu's energy attacks and one of his. Sagat came off the ground and rushed forward with a vicious Tiger Crush aimed squarely at Dadallent's face. The Chaos Prince blocked this attack and struck back, catching Sagat on the chest, but there was no force behind the attack. They traded a dozen blows before both simultaneously landed their strikes - Sagat a straight punch right to Dadallent's nose, and Dadallent a powerful kick at Sagat's rib cage. Sagat felt his ribs fracture underneath the attack but to his gratification Dadallent's face began to stream with blood.  
  
"This match is fast degenerating into the level of a brawl," Kyosuke commented. "Sagat's superior weight and reach make him especially dangerous in close combat, but so far Dadallent is doing a remarkably good job of holding him at bay considering how badly he's been beaten earlier. While it's hard to see anything right now, it's pretty obvious that Sagat is trying to beat Dadallent down into submission with the sheer force of his attacks. He's in better shape than his opponent, but Dadallent is notorious for being a difficult enemy to - _did you see that?!_ Instant reprisal on Dadallent's part; he's got Sagat on a chain now! Wow, eight-hit aerial rave ending with a weapon knockdown! Sagat's bleeding badly now and it looks like he's starting to fight more cautiously."  
  
Sagat snarled; he'd thrown one too many punches at Dadallent and paid the price for it when he became predictable. Being pulled into a kick was never good, but Dadallent had nearly broken his thigh with that retaliatory kick and then it was only a matter of chaining attacks together. Deep inside, Sagat suspected that he was beginning to realize what Ryu already knew; he simply wasn't a match for Dadallent. He could not use his superior size and weight to force a guard crush on someone of Dadallent's skill. Something had to give and Sagat closed in on Dadallent again, but he could not shake the unsettling feeling that the something in question would be himself and not Dadallent. Dadallent was prepared and they traded upwards of thirty blows before Dadallent dropped back a bit. It was what Sagat wanted; he aimed a punch at Dadallent as his opponent rushed forward and it struck the Chaos Prince squarely in the stomach, but Dadallent did not even slow down as he slid past Sagat drawing two fingers after himself. Stunned by the superhuman feat - his punch could have dropped a rampaging rhinoceros - Sagat glanced down in disbelief to see blood seeping out of a wound neatly drawn horizontally across his chest.  
  
Dadallent must have also done something else, for when Sagat tried to move pain lanced through his muscles from head to foot. And while he could still fight, every movement now cost him dearly in terms of effort and pain. He forced the latter into the background; Dadallent was practically on top of him and Sagat saw the opening, lashing out with a powerful knee strike that unfolded into a kick as he roared "Tiger ... Knee!" The attack was designed to pelt his opponent with a barrage of close-range attacks before ending in a single, massive flying kick; once the first hit went through, the rest came naturally.  
  
Only the first hit didn't go through.  
  
When Sagat's knee rose, Dadallent curled his fingers into a fist and struck down at Sagat's knee. Forces met and collided before the Chaos Prince's fist shattered the bones in Sagat's knee into a thousand fragments; the sheer power of the attack knocked Sagat down to the ground and he screamed as unimaginable pain paralyzed his body. He clutched futilely at his leg; all thoughts of defense had been lost in the haze of the injury that coursed through his nerves, and he failed to see Dadallent draw up his hand in the distinct two-finger formation that signaled the beginning of his destructive super art. Dadallent swung, bringing his arm out in a wide arc as a bright white light flashed off his fingertips. The entire battleground exploded with brilliance as the very distinct sound of a blade scraping on metal rang out. The light faded and Sagat was out cold, bleeding from a thousand gashes upon his skin.  
  
Dadallent returned to the center of the field as Kirina entered from the opposite side whence Sagat had fallen. "And just like that, Sagat is knocked out by the Deadly Slash! Here comes Kirina, the last of the World Warriors," Kyosuke noted. "She looks quite cautious and she has a good reason to be so, after seeing two much stronger warriors both defeated by Dadallent. On the other hand, Dadallent doesn't so great himself. Is it just me, or does he look worn-down and haggard, Jin ... _don't answer that!_ ... yes, Dadallent certainly doesn't look like the fearsome Chaos Prince of popular legend. Still, considering what he did to Sagat, I'd count him as a viable threat. It comes down to what Kirina is capable of, and so far I haven't been impressed by her performance."  
  
"And the lady knight ..." Dadallent whispered.  
  
The Kirina Houshi raised by her mother would have trash-talked Dadallent prior to fighting. But as she sank warily into a fighting stance, Kirina felt that the odds were very much against her. Despite his battered appearance, Dadallent stood stock-still and his aura seemed much more frightening up close. Somewhat carefully, Kirina pulled out her Muramasa blade and held it in a classic ready stance, blade pointed at Dadallent, wrists guarded. Earlier, Hiryu and McGrath had both advised her to stick with a basic stance and fight without fancy techniques; Kirina now pondered the soundness of that advice. Dadallent pulled off his own sheath from his back and withdrew the blade, holding Psychisaber ready in his right hand as his left held on to the sheath. The gesture made Kirina seethe inwardly. _Arrogant bastard, does he really think that this will be over so quickly that he doesn't even bother to put away that sheath?_  
  
As it was, Kirina had it dead wrong.  
  
She rushed forward, threw out a mighty slash aimed at slicing open Dadallent's wrist ... _Blocking attacks with a sheath? No way, he's a two-weapon fighter! Foolish of me to underestimate him like that ..._ But there was hardly any time to think, as Dadallent had already knocked her sword off to the side with the iron-bound sheath. Kirina instinctively jumped backwards, but the arc that the Psychisaber drew through the air slashed through the skin of her left arm and Kirina only avoided losing her arm entirely thanks to the shortened length of Dadallent's weapon. She parried away the next strike, but the third seemed to magically change direction in midswing and the flat of the blade crashed into her stomach, leaving her breathless. Kirina tried a thrust of her own; Dadallent caught the Muramasa between his two weapons and executed a textbook-perfect backflip, easily kicking the sword out of Kirina's hands.  
  
Mercifully it landed right next to her and Kirina seized the weapon, rushing down on Dadallent with a renewed sense of urgency. She aimed a high attack that Dadallent parried with his sheath, a mid-level slash, again deflected by that accursed scabbard, and yet another bash directly at Dadallent's neck. This last one Dadallent brought both weapons up to deflect and Kirina instantly blazed into a different move, leaping forward with a flying kick. Caught by surprise, Dadallent dashed to the side but failed to clear away from the Sniping Arrow in time. A sickening crunch sounded out as Kirina's attack crushed a pair of his ribs and Dadallent dove into a roll, giving himself more distance. Kirina's eyes narrowed. _He just lost two ribs, but the way he moves you'd think that he hadn't fought at all up to this point. This can't possibly be natural._  
  
Kirina tried a side slash, noting that she had begun to sweat in the sinfully hot weather. This Dadallent parried; when Kirina slashed again, he vanished in a plume of smoke and dove down from above, flipping around in midair to drive a powerful slash down at her. Kirina managed to withstand this attack by catching it on her sword in a two-handed grip, but the sheer force of it nearly knocked her into the ground regardless. Her arms both numbed under the withering attack and she was too slow to block the next strike, a wide-arcing swing of the sheath that rapped her soundly under the chin. Kirina forced herself into an uppercut and it intercepted Dadallent's next strike, but she was too spent to attempt the reverse leg drill. Instead, she tried an aerial fireball.  
  
The fireball came out far weaker than she had anticipated, but Kirina was not surprised. Her father and Uncle Ken were hard-pressed to pull aerial fireballs at all, while even fighters like Akuma suffered from half damage reduction for midair energy attacks. Still, it was gratifying to see Dadallent blasted back into the ground with his chest smoking from the fireball. He forced himself up, clutching at his heart, as he readied his weapons. Kirina launched another fireball at him and raced up behind it, at the same time throwing out a storm of sword slashes when she had closed in. Dadallent parried away the first one, but the fireball forced him to dodge aside and with one powerful slash Kirina sent his sword flying out of his hands and past the battlefield boundary markers.  
  
Unfortunately for her, Dadallent reacted instantly to the next slash by striking her sword arm with a powerful punch, effectively preempting it. Kirina's arm numbed from the attack as pain lanced through her whole body; with speed that defied his appearance, Dadallent's left arm swung around and he neatly trapped the Muramasa in his own sheath. Kirina tugged hard, but she was left without any strength to back up her efforts and in an instant Dadallent had wrenched her sword out of her hands. He flung the blade away and it skidded off to the edge of the field; quickly and efficiently he replaced his sheath on his back and settled into a hand-combat stance.  
  
"Hmph, how like a gentleman," Kyosuke commented in a dry tone. "Kirina's still relatively fresh, but at this rate Dadallent is going to wear her down just like he did to Sagat and Ryu. Neither combatant is forcing a decision at the moment, but it's improbable that this will last. Dadallent is doing a fairly good job of keeping Kirina at a distance too short for fireballs but too long for punches. He has the advantage in a drawn-out fight, though. If this deadlock doesn't break soon, then - _and it's broken by a six-hit chain from Dadallent!_ Awesome comeback by the Chaos Prince!"  
  
Spitting out blood, Kirina tried her hardest to track Dadallent with vision that was no longer clear. Intellectually, her brain was telling her that there couldn't possibly be two of the same man standing in front of her. He suddenly vanished in a plume of smoke, but Kirina realized his intentions far too late to avoid a diving kick from above. The attack cleared her vision but it also sent pain coursing through her body as she tried to reestablish her bearings. The sun was at her back, so when she suddenly stopped feeling heat Kirina wheeled around wildly with a Shadowlaw-style angled high kick. This caused Dadallent's own kick to miss, but he reacted with superhuman speed and somehow managed to intercept Kirina's own attack with a fist. His next attack came in the form of a modified Hell Cutter, slashing through Kirina's defenses and sending her flying backwards towards the edges of the battlegrounds.  
  
"_Dadallent goes for the kill!_" Jin screamed.  
  
Kirina hadn't even skidded to a halt before Dadallent was upon her, phasing again to emerge directly in front of her. She blocked a preemptive kick, but the force behind it caused her to land heavily on her back. Desperately Kirina put up a token defense, punctuated occasionally by fireballs. And despite the fact that it was Dadallent who was fighting with his back to the boundaries, Kirina was in a terrible position and she realized it. Dadallent attempted a close-ranged grapple and Kirina flung herself backwards to avoid it, but Dadallent again moved more quickly than Kirina believed possible and hooked her ankle, causing her to crash into something solid. Kirina's fingers scrabbled frantically in the dirt before seizing hold of it; Dadallent vaulted through the air with a graceful arc of a jump, descending like a falling star as he aimed an earth-shattering attack straight at Kirina's face ... 


	27. Reflections

**Reflections**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Hmm, actually I hadn't meant for the last chapter to be a cliffhanger at all, but I just couldn't squeeze the entire battle into a single chapter. So I figured I'd use another literary device and worm my way out. I'll try to be better about cliffhangers in the future, since everybody knows that I hate them too (... admittedly, I screwed all of you over with the McGrath versus Akuma fight scene).

* * *

_Osaka, Japan  
One day has passed _  
  
Kirina sat cross-legged on her bed, deep in thought. Spread out in front of her upon the blankets, the ruined shards of her broken Muramasa sword glinted in the sunlight. Even now, they retained a decidedly deadly edge that continued all along the jagged sides. Perhaps twelve or thirteen of the largest pieces lay before Kirina, unable to be recovered. And although her eyes were fixed on the shattered pieces of her sword, her mind was elsewhere, replaying the last events of the fight between herself and the Chaos Prince. _I won, but ... what price victory? If that had been a real fight, he surely would have killed Dad and Uncle Sagat. It was so close ...  
  
Dadallent vaulted through the air with a graceful arc of a jump, descending like a falling star as he aimed an earth-shattering attack straight at Kirina's face. Doubtlessly the battle would have ended right there if the attack had connected. Kirina dodged frantically as her fingers closed on the hilt of her dropped katana. She cleared out of the way just in time as Dadallent landed with a storm of force, causing the ground to spiderweb into a thousand cracks under his single massive strike. Nor was that all; instead of dropping into a crouch to avoid damage the way any other fighter would have, he sprang up and aimed a vicious kick at Kirina. Kirina swung her arm around in the same instant; Dadallent's speed of recovery would never fail to surprise her, but she hadn't counted on him being able to avoid cooldown so quickly. They met -  
  
Dadallent screamed in pain and surprise as Kirina's sword sliced through his tattered uniform and deep into his flesh, driving onwards with brutal force. It was far too late to stop his attack, but cruel irony seemed to be enjoying a particularly festive moment as Dadallent's own force propelled him onto Kirina's sword until the tip erupted from his back. The Muramasa's bitter edges had cut right through his ribs and punctured a lung; blood pooled out of his mouth and through his face guard, where it soaked through his uniform and lent the battered warrior a dark-red hue to his black clothing. Gasping hard, Dadallent grunted and with a mighty effort launched a powerful strike into Kirina's face. The force of the attack exploded upon Kirina with all the impact of a runaway train and her grasp on the Muramasa broke as she tumbled backwards in the dust.  
  
Dadallent's left hand closed over the bloodthirsty blade, but when he pulled he nearly dislodged his lungs; the sword was embedded fast. Blood seeped through his shirt; gritting his teeth, Dadallent pulled his hands up, two fingers on each hand ready to strike. Then, swiftly and efficiently, he flung his hands down at the offending weapon and it broke into a dozen or more pieces as his fingers sheared through the metal like hot wires through cheese. Each shard rang as it dropped to the ground. With a gasp of effort, Dadallent wrenched the last piece of the blade out of his chest and flung it aside. He was bleeding all over his body and his footsteps left bloody imprints behind, but his aura remained as threatening as ever.  
  
"No!" Kirina shouted, unable to believe what had happened to her weapon.  
  
"That's impossible ..." Kyosuke breathed.  
  
"Oh boy, somebody's in for it now!" Jin screamed excitedly.  
  
Turning his blind eyes to Kirina, Dadallent stalked after her with all the relentlessness of death itself. Kirina scrambled up, slipped, and frantically pulled herself up again. Dadallent seized her from behind by the shoulders, but Kirina managed to break the grip before it could settle. As she spun around to face him, Dadallent sank his fist into the ground and it trembled under the impact as a blazing column emerged and began hopping towards her. Kirina dodged to the side, but she felt deadly fatigued. Dadallent, too, hesitated as she launched a weak fireball at him before he blocked it. And when he blocked it instead of dodging, Kirina seized her only chance.  
  
"Ready ..." She cupped her hands backwards as a brilliant white-blue glow emerged from her palms. Her arms were partially shielded by her body, and the entire stance looked like something Ryu would pull. Whatever she was doing, it must have alarmed Dadallent as he beat off the remnants of her earlier Hadouken posthaste. "... Set ..." The light erupted from her palms as she committed extra energy to the technique. As her energy levels depleted, she began to draw on the reserves of her own vitality, though a small, insistent voice in the back of her head warned that she was risking oblivion. And Kirina realized that she didn't care - she wanted revenge for her sword, for her father, for the emperor.  
  
"__Destroy!_" Kirina threw her arms forward and a storm of fireballs erupted out of her palms, blasting away at the area before herself. The withering hail of energy ripped straight across the battlefield and at Dadallent, covering the entire area in an unreal, ethereal white and blue glow. The Chaos Prince raised an arm to block, but his stance betrayed his uneasiness as the fireballs homed in unerringly upon him. Kirina felt the world sway as more energy flowed out of her body, and her feet were starting to develop a mind of their own. Was it her imagination, or had Dadallent not raised his hand to block at all, but to give a strange sort of salute ...?  
  
"And I won the battle," Kirina mused softly to herself. She had fainted from the effort after seeing that salute, but she had won. "He left the field. Vanishing under the Destroyer Hadouken, and he wasn't seen again - so we won, but it feels like an empty victory. In a real fight, it might easily have gone the other way ..." No one had seen Dadallent after the match, and so the World Warriors had won by default. Ryu had voiced what they all thought, that it wasn't really a victory. And more disturbing news came in the fact that even a careful search failed to find the Psychisaber.  
  
Kirina stared down at the fragments of her sword. Legend had it that the Muramasa sought out blood; regardless of whether or not that was true, the weapon had served her well ever since she received it from the ex-Shadowlaw doll Satsuki. As a historical relic, it was virtually priceless, a genuine weapon used by the samurai for over four centuries and perhaps the last of its kind. Now it lay useless in front of her and she wanted to weep. Someone knocked on the door.  
  
"Come in," Kirina called lifelessly.  
  
Ryu slid the door open as he and Samantha McGrath walked into Kirina's room. Soundlessly Samantha took a chair by the bed as Ryu seated himself upon the other bed, now unused. "We came by to see how you were holding up, Kirina," Ryu explained. "Are you feeling well? We were starting to become worried since we hadn't seen you all day."  
  
"I'm fine, dad. Really, I am."  
  
"... I see."  
  
"Fine, I'm not!" Kirina exploded. "We would've been killed had that been a real fight! And look at this 'souvenir' that Dadallent left me!" She indicated the shards of the Muramasa with a sweep of her hands. "What did I learn from this fight? Perhaps I don't want to be a true warrior anymore, not if I have to fight against people like Dadallent! Thank Regina for healing me when you get the chance. I'm staying right here." Kirina folded her arms and half-shut her eyes.  
  
"Sulking never helped anything," Ryu replied softly.  
  
"I don't want to be helped!" Kirina snapped.  
  
Ryu stiffened, but Samantha smoothly intervened before he could voice an angry reply. "Kirina," she began, "I understand. The life of the true warrior is difficult, fraught with dangers. Only one who possesses true strength of character will be able to endure it. Kirina, would you tell us why you reconsider?"  
  
"I just don't want to do it," Kirina insisted.  
  
"Surely you must have a reason?" Samantha asked.  
  
"Leave me alone."  
  
Only a swift glance from Samantha prevented Ryu from scolding his daughter. "Kirina, I understand if you do not wish to speak with us. I will listen should you decide otherwise. However, I do wish to know if there is aught I may do for you. Do you wish to speak your mind?" Samantha tilted her head to one side and looked sideways at Kirina.  
  
"I ..." Kirina sighed and glanced hesitantly at Ryu, but the words died halfway out. She cleared her throat before proceeding. "I ... I've never fought anyone like Dadallent," she began slowly. "Bison was before my time ... and he was killed when I was only a child. The worst I've ever been outmatched, I think, was when I fought you for the first time, daddy. But yesterday, when I fought Dadallent and actually saw the way he fought - I don't want to die! I'm scared of dying in a fight!" Kirina confessed as tears began to emerge from her eyes. "I just can't help but think of how different it would have been in a real fight - you'd be dead, dad, and Uncle Sagat too! I don't want that! I don't want to die ..." Kirina trailed off as she wept.  
  
_So that's it ..._ Ryu thought to himself. Samantha, for her part, wordlessly stood up and crossed the room to sit next to Kirina on her bed. She said nothing, only reaching out and wrapping Kirina in her arms, hugging the younger woman close as she rocked slowly back and forth on the bed. Still sobbing softly, Kirina gradually gave way to Samantha's embrace and leaned on the _Phantom's_ shoulders. Samantha spared an upwards glance at Ryu; he nodded his appreciation and silently slipped out of the room. "I understand what you have said," Samantha whispered softly. "'Tis no trivial matter to confront one's own mortality. Kirina, if you ever have need of an ear to listen, I will be here for you. I promise."  
  
"Thank you." Kirina smiled with as much dignity as she could muster.  
  
Samantha drew apart somewhat and patted Kirina on the back in a comforting manner. "Speak to me should the need arise. For now, Regina asked after you earlier today. Will you not speak with her?" Samantha stood up, pulled Kirina to her feet, and the two of them walked out of the room together. Kirina paused only to shut the door behind her. "Regina could hardly contain her anticipation," Samantha confided to Kirina. "Kirina, tell me more concerning yourself. What of your childhood?"  
  
"My ... childhood?" Kirina asked. "There isn't much to tell, really ... you IDC soldiers seem to know everything, anyways. Though, if you care to hear it, I'll try my best. As you probably know, I am Ryu's illegitimate daughter by the Shadowlaw assassin Juli. I've always known, even from a very young age, who my parents are. My mother and father had an affair after Shadowlaw first fell, prior to the second World Warrior tournament. And I was the result of that affair. My earliest memories are of learning how to fish alongside my mother Juli, and of learning how to play cards from Juni and Satsuki. I must admit, my aunts tried to spoil me rotten." Kirina chuckled somewhat at the memory.  
  
"Because mother feared that Shadowlaw might try to track us down - not an unfounded fear, of course - we never stayed in the same place for long. My mother and Juni also trained me to fight in the Shadowlaw style of combat, as well as combining data that they had analyzed from Shadowlaw's files on Ansatsuken. Aunt Satsuki taught me what she knew about swordfighting, thus my sword styles revolve around the traditional Japanese teachings - strike hard and fast, one strike, one kill. Not exactly the most effective way to approach an enemy like Dadallent. But I'm getting ahead of myself.  
  
"Shadowlaw's fall after the second World Warrior tournament gave mom peace of mind. We settled down in a nice place in the States, while Juni and Satsuki eventually went their separate ways. My aunt gave me her Muramasa sword as a parting gift. Meanwhile, I discovered that I enjoyed fighting, that I could learn about myself while doing so. When the third World Warrior tournament was hosted, mom watched dad fight and decided to send me to him. At that time, dad did not know that he even had a child. You can imagine how surprised he was when I arrived, claiming to be who I was.  
  
"It's been two years since then, and I've trained with dad and Master Oro all the while. Now that Master Oro is gone, dad is the one responsible for my training - though I admit, schoolwork interferes a lot with it." Kirina shrugged. "I'm not too sure what I want to do with my life, whether I want to continue fighting or to give it up and study. There you have it, that's my life story. I know, not the most interesting thing in the world."  
  
"Did I say that it was not?" Samantha replied courteously.  
  
"There you are!" Regina practically raced down the hall as she caught sight of Kirina and Samantha. She was dressed in a plain and simple brown skirt, wearing the same type of bunny slippers that Bison had sported much earlier. For all appearances, Regina looked like an overenthusiastic girl. "Hi Samantha, hi Kirina! Kirina, I've brought a special gift for you! I promise you, you'll love it!"  
  
"Very well, I shall take my leave." Samantha bowed gracefully before stepping out of the room.  
  
"Bye, Samantha! Come with me, please, Kirina." Regina led Kirina down the remainder of the hallway and through the lobby, then to the other wing of the hotel, up a flight of stairs, and finally to her own room. It was sparsely furnished and looked hardly used at all. On a small writing desk set near the windows, Regina had written out something on stacks of notebook paper, but when Kirina drew her she saw that it was all runic script of a type unlike any she had ever seen. Still, what immediately arrested her attention was not the writing, but instead the large, cross-shaped object lying on an unused bed.  
  
Kirina stared at it and shivered a little. Even she could feel the power emanating from this object. It was nearly as long as she was tall and shaped like a cross, with a long, broad center and two equally broad arms projecting three-fourths of the way up the centerpiece. The top was not as broad; instead, it was apparent at first glance that it was a handle, made to allow a person to easily wield the object in both hands. Upon the massive crosspiece of the blade four distinct letters, INRI, had been burned into the metalwork. The weapon looked to be easily twice as heavy as Kirina herself. Most of the blade was inlaid with a strange brownish woodwork that nevertheless glittered even in the low light and the edges shone with a dangerous silver glint. "Goodness ... is that a weapon?"  
  
"Yes!" Regina exclaimed. "This is my weapon, INRI. Try it out, Kirina. I'm lending it to you."  
  
"Wha -? Hold up, you're lending me your weapon, just like that?" Kirina demanded, not quite believing what she had just heard. When Regina nodded enthusiastically, Kirina approach the sword and laid her left hand on its handle. The moment her fingers touched the cool metal, she felt something like a pulse of electricity run underneath her skin and throughout her entire body. The sensation surprised her, and she thought to herself, _Any weapon used by a goddess must be powerful indeed, but I had no idea it carried so much within itself._ And for all of its formidable appearance, the weapon turned out to be remarkably light; Kirina easily pulled it off the bed with her left arm and flourished it in the air. INRI sang as it sheared effortlessly through space. _What a remarkable weapon ..._  
  
"Isn't it?" Regina echoed. "Would you like to hear the tale of how I acquired it?" When Kirina nodded acquiescence, Regina indicated a chair to her. The goddess seated herself upon the bed and tucked her legs under her body. For a moment she glanced upwards, sorting out her thoughts, until she seemed to decide upon a starting point. "INRI ... the phrase is Latin, 'Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum.' Perhaps you have heard the saying, 'Greater than any weapon in the world is an idea whose time has come'? Appropriately enough, INRI is both weapon and idea. This is the story of how I came by this sword ..."

* * *

_Rome, Roman Empire  
383 A.D.  
  
"Marin, why have we come here?" Regina asked, glancing around herself. They stood together atop the Palatine hill that overlooked much of the sprawling city. It was indeed a remarkable sight; Rome was, after all, still one of the greatest cities upon the Earth. To Regina's divine senses, the place bustled with life and activity. Children played happily in the streets below. It was evening and the sun hovered on the distant horizon, painting the world in vivid hues of orange and violet.  
  
"Look around you carefully, Regina," Marin answered. She and her sister were both dressed in the plain and simple garb of common peasant women, though their hair instantly made them stand out. "Rome declines, dear sister; she will not endure another century. Already the greatest empire of this earth has begun her fall to ruin. Yet from the ashes of Rome shall arise a force that no mortal power can halt. It is for this force that we are present. You sense it, do you not? A latent, still sleeping power which shall become irresistible once awakened."  
  
"Yes, there is power here," Regina agreed. "Yet it cannot awaken until the nation which has birthed it dies. Such a sad sight, sister; must every empire fall?"  
  
"Even we goddesses are not eternal," Marin replied matter-of-factly. "Follow me, Regina. We did not come to ruminate but to find you a weapon. I pray that you will never have need of it, but should the need arise, you shall have it. I saw it but ten days ago; it is indeed of peerless quality." Marin turned and led Regina down the street, avoiding most of the largest thoroughfares. They navigated for ten minutes through various ways until they halted in a small bazaar, where the vendors prepared to close for the night. Regina felt the source of power with much greater intensity.  
  
Marin stopped only to purchase a pair of apples for herself and her sister, then the two goddesses found a marble bench opposite the bazaar square, facing one of the humble homes that lined the marketplace. The sun had nearly disappeared, but oil lamps in the streets still provided reasonable illumination. Marin sat back and chewed contemplatively on her apple, saying nothing, only staring at the space in front of herself without really seeing any of it. Seeing as how Marin was in no mood for casual conversation, Regina also held her peace and an uneasy silence descended. She nibbled on her own fruit wordlessly.  
  
Marin finished the apple and casually tossed its core aside; after a short while, Regina did likewise. Still Marin said nothing, only staring out in front of herself, lost in thought. Regina glanced around, but this particular street seemed mostly deserted save for the occasional prefect on patrol. No one paid much attention to the two women sitting together in the shadowed corner. When the silence became unbearable, Regina finally spoke. The sun was long gone and the evening star shone brightly in the nighttime sky, visible even over the torchlight. "Sister, will you not share your thoughts with me?"  
  
"Patience, Regina," Marin whispered. "The home opposite us is that of the scholar Jerome. There, he labors ceaselessly - we must need tarry until he sleeps. He is a servant of the Almighty, as we are, yet he would by no means recognize us as divine. In his zeal, he would condemn us as heretics, or devils, or worse. There is no shame in resorting to thievery." Marin laughed; it was a sweet, vibrant sound, full of life. "He shall be none the wiser."  
  
Regina nodded and the two again fell silent. This lasted for another three hours as Marin meditated and Regina expanded her senses, empathizing with the citizens of Rome. Then all silently Marin stood to her feet and indicated that they should proceed. Quite stealthily the two sister stole into the scholar's house. It was really a simple structure, built of stone and brick, with the ground floor broken into several rooms. Marin and Regina tiptoed past the bedroom, where the scholar who resided in the house snored softly. When Marin half-turned, touched a finger to her lips and smiled, Regina had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from laughing out loud.  
  
They crept past the kitchen and into the study, where Marin straightened and pointed out the scholar's desk to Regina. Though there was hardly any natural light in the room, the scattered parchments that littered the desk seemed to glow in Regina's eyes and her breath caught. Each character burned a fiery trail through the darkness and the entire room seemed to be bathed in a divine glow. Regina slipped up to the desk and stared. Latin words, of course, and as she read them she realized that Marin was indeed correct. "Never have I beheld aught of such untapped power ..." Regina breathed. "Yet ... 'tis no weapon, sister."  
  
"You must make it yours, Regina," Marin stated. "Draw out its essence."  
  
"Draw out its essence ...?" Regina echoed. "But of course, metal must be forged to become a sword. I understand, this weapon shall take the form of a sword. What qualities will it possess? How will it serve me?" Regina expanded her spiritual senses, probing, drawing deeply as she navigated through the auras all about her. As she did so, she realized that she was creating a weapon unlike any Marin had ever made. Her sister worked with precious metals garnered from stars, but here Marin had asked her to mold ideas into reality. "A weapon unlike any other ... very well, I shall draw out its power." Regina laid her right hand upon the painstakingly transcribed manuscripts and concentrated.  
  
**Divinity:** In principio erat Verbum et Verbum erat apud Deum et Deus erat Verbum.  
  
**Invulnerability:** Caelum et terra transibunt verba autem Mea non transient.  
  
**Power:** Vivus est enim Dei sermo et efficax et penetrabilior omni gladio ancipiti et pertingens usque ad divisionem animae ac spiritus conpagum quoque et medullarum et discretor cogitationum et intentionum cordis.  
  
Regina's hand closed around a hilt and with a single mighty pull she extracted a brilliant and beautiful weapon. It was shaped like a crucifix, three of its blades tipped with edges so bitter that they would shear through steel like cloth. And yet despite its impressive size, the weapon was as light as a feather and adjusted itself to Regina's grip. She flexed experimentally and was pleasantly surprised to feel how easily it cleaved through the air. Upon the massive crosspiece the phrase INRI had been burned into the metalwork; to Regina's divinely attuned senses, it shone with a brilliant and beautiful light. The entire weapon fairly vibrated with the power that it contained and Regina instantly knew that here was a sword that would never fail her, no matter what. "It is done, dear sister."  
  
"Let us be on our way," Marin answered softly. "Much remains to be accomplished."_  
  
As Regina finished her story, Kirina felt her mouth drop open in astonishment as she stared between INRI and the goddess. "Incredible. Regina, you actually saw the original Vulgate?"  
  
"Why, yes," Regina laughed. "I'm always fascinated by the way the Bible has changed throughout the years. Kirina, this sword has a long and distinguished history behind it. I lend it to humans who can use it; two others have wielded the weapon before. One of them was Arthur, who named this sword 'Excalibur' - a fitting name, I would add, as it means 'beyond the Word'." Seeing Kirina's expression of astonishment again, Regina chuckled. "Are you surprised? I was the Lady of the Lake, Kirina, and I did enjoy playing the part. The other who used this weapon was Jeanne - or Joan of Arc, as she is known to history. Both of them, I am afraid, met tragic deaths." Regina tilted her head to the side. "You really ought to meet them someday, Kirina. I'm sure you three would get along just fine."  
  
"You never fail to amaze me, Regina," Kirina replied. "INRI ..."  
  
"I hope you find the weapon to your liking," Regina added.  
  
Kirina smiled. "Thank you very much, Regina. I consider myself in your debt. It is indeed a beautiful and deadly weapon, and yet ... what a warm and gentle feeling it gives off. Yes, I think INRI and I are going to become best friends." 


	28. Semifinals: Neo Commando Squad vs World ...

**Semifinals: Neo Commando Squad vs. World Warrior Team**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** For those of you (few and far-between faithful) readers, this tournament has finally drawn to a close. The tournament bracket has been updated, of course. The story hasn't ended, of course. Well, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. (Frowns profusely at his writers' block.) The reason I've been kinda lax with updates can be blamed on three separate factors: truckloads of physics homework, too much time spent gaming, and of course my lovely girlfriend.  
  
**Nitro.exe:** Much as I hate to admit it, the reason I killed "Child of the Crescent Moon" was because I didn't care about the story anymore. It was indeed a good story, but Colliding Worlds was coming up and I wanted to give all my time to it. I couldn't force myself to write more for Crescent Moon. So sorry if I disappointed you!

* * *

_ Fraser River, Canada  
Four days have passed _  
  
Anyone who tuned in to channel WC on a certain auspicious day would have seen a rather unforgettable image: the ever-lovable Jin Saotome, thrusting his face right into a camera and proceeding to shout the equipment down. And any viewer unfortunate enough to have his or her volume turned above a bare minimum instantly suffered from audio concussion. "Yes my friends, _this is it!_" Jin screamed. "It had to happen! The Neo Commandos against the World Warriors! Ryu against Commando, Ruby against Kirina, Strider against Sagat! _It had to happen and the time is now!_" Jin continued to holler at the top of his voice while Commando and Ryu watched uneasily from the background.  
  
"I hate it when he does that," Kyosuke muttered from his anchor chair in Osaka stadium. "Somebody cut the volume! Anyway, ladies and gentlemen, tonight the two strongest teams in the tournament face off against each other. Normally I'd ask Master Gen or Mr. Q to analyze the situation, but seeing as how both have been absent for the past several matches, your humble reporter will do the honors himself." One of the directors made a hand motion for Kyosuke to throw the question at Jin. The student turned reporter responded by blinking out a message in Morse code along the lines of _only when hell has frozen over._ "The lineup is team leader Captain Commando on the Neo Commando side, supported by colleagues Strider Hiryu and Ruby Heart. On the World Warrior side, team leader Ryu is backed up by his daughter Kirina and Sagat, the famed Emperor of Muay Thai.  
  
"Folks, this match is hard to call and could swing either way. On one hand, the Neo Commando Squad has consistently shown the best teamwork in the entire tournament throughout all of its matches. The Neo Commandos are a team in the truest sense, with an especially deadly lineup for today's match: Commando leading, then Ruby Heart and Strider bringing up the rear. On the other side, Ryu and Sagat form the single most deadly pair in the tournament. Kirina Houshi too is no slacker and for today's match she's sporting a particularly wicked looking sword. The World Warrior lineup is Ryu leading, Kirina following, and Sagat in the rear. I suppose that it'll all come down to the actual ebb and flow of the battle itself. Let's head out and take a look at the field."  
  
"Let's get out of here," Ryu muttered to Commando as Jin danced his way across the battlefield towards them.  
  
"Agreed," Commando mouthed in reply. "Who knows what that maniac might try next?"  
  
"Hey, Ryu! Captain!" Jin hollered. "Wait up! I have questions!"  
  
"Run for your life," Commando advised Ryu.  
  
Fortunately for both of them, at that moment Samantha McGrath intercepted Jin and engaged him in small talk, at the same time winking at both Commando and Ryu. Commando responded with a salute as he and Ryu met with their respective teams at the center of the battlefield. Today's battleground was no more than a small, flat island located in the center of the Fraser River. The grass was still green and vibrant, but already the river was choked with the beautiful reds and yellows of autumn leaves. The light of the rising sun produced a strange effect upon the battleground, casting long shadows everywhere. All in all the scene exuded an aura of strange tranquility (despite Jin's voice level) and more than one fighter found himself strangely soothed by it.  
  
"To think that we would have come so far ..." Commando mused. "Ryu, did you ever imagine that it would end like this?"  
  
"End?" Ryu asked. "This is simply the beginning."  
  
Captain Commando stared hard into his prospective opponent's face. "Ryu, listen to me. There's more resting on this fight than a simple combat to see who can learn what. I know that you follow the way of the true warrior, but this is one of the times where we have to fight not just for ourselves. I hope you understand, Ryu: I _can't_ lose this match, not now. I have to confront Marin for the sake of everyone here."  
  
"Even though you risk everything," Ryu stated.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Even though you cannot win," the wanderer continued.  
  
"Even though."  
  
"Then you and I are not so different as we would like to think." Ryu said with a smile.  
  
"Motive is all the difference in the world," Commando replied solemnly. "You and I will never be the same."  
  
The white-clad warrior leaned in closer and whispered into Commando's ear, the latter nodding occasionally. Commando frowned, but he listened without comment. Ruby Heart and Strider Hiryu glanced at each other and then at Sagat and Kirina. The talk lasted for a few minutes, but whatever Ryu had said, it must have satisfied Commando as the captain grinned and thanked him most courteously. There on the field of battle, in the very center of the island, Ryu and Commando gripped each other's hands as they smiled and exchanged the same look of sheer determination. "Let's do it."  
  
Ryu strode opposite Commando as his teammates and his opponent's fell away, leaving the two contestants alone in the center of the battlefield. He adjusted his headband and wristguards absently, but his eyes were upon Commando. For his part, the captain tightened his gloves. When Ryu was certain that he was ready for the fight, he bowed to his opponent and Commando returned a salute.  
  
_Begin!_  
  
"Hadouken! Captain Fire!" Predictably, both projectiles collided and canceled each other out in midair; equally predictably, Ryu and Commando rushed in hot on the tails of their initial attacks. They met and Commando aimed a powerful front kick, but the slight twisting motion at the start of his attack betrayed his intent and Ryu dodged to the side, avoiding it entirely. Ryu threw a high punch that Commando parried to the side, but the world warrior stepped in closer and collapsed his arm backwards to elbow upwards viciously. Simultaneously, he pulled his knee upwards for a powerful strike into Commando's stomach. Commando jumped backwards and avoided the worst of the attack, while a swift water column called up by Ruby prevented Ryu from chasing him any further.  
  
"This is already becoming a promising fight, ladies and gentlemen," Kyosuke reported. "Excellent start by Ryu, keeping Commando on his toes for much of the opening sequence. Ryu knows that he has more of an advantage at point-blank range combat and he's pressing for that kind of battle as much as he can, but Commando is having none of it. He's using Ruby Heart as a long-range support quite effectively and Ryu can't call out Kirina with any assurance of safety. Commando trying to keep Ryu at a distance with Captain Fires, Ryu retaliating with a steady barrage of Hadoukens ... here comes Ruby Heart again, prowling on the edges of the battlefield. Quick save by Kirina, knocking Commando out of a aerial attack with a Thrust Kick!  
  
"Both teams are well-matched for a long battle that could very possibly be looming ahead. You see how Ryu is still trying to press in an attack, but Commando definitely has an advantage since he and Ruby Heart simply make such a stellar team. Ruby already managed to slip Commando a power-up earlier in the battle and now Ryu and Commando are dead-even in terms of fighting capacity. Ryu has to be able to keep Commando from recuperating, otherwise the captain's superior teamwork will overwhelm him. He has to start using Kirina more effectively in a striking capacity. Ryu dodges to the right ... takes the offensive ... look how he's still trying to take the fight to close-range combat, and Commando is saying to himself, 'You know what, I'm not having any of this.' His Captain Collider is simply a deadly weapon for stuffing Ryu's rushdown while Ruby Heart drops by to assist him. At the same time, Commando knows not to get too predictable with the Collider and its awful cooldown ... he drops another Collider ... Ryu avoids it, takes the initiative, launches a Hadouken -! And the World Warriors are back in the fight!"  
  
Shaking himself free of the effects of Ryu's attack, Commando signaled for Ruby Heart to take his place as he leapt away from the battlefield. Ryu refocused on his new opponent, noting Ruby's cautious stance and the single arm held out protectively in front of her chest. Of his opponents, Ruby was the one of whom he knew the least and he hesitated before circling right to attack her from another angle. Ruby fixed her one good eye upon Ryu as a treasure chest materialized out of thin air; kicking it open, Ruby stepped back as a ghost materialized and wafted towards Ryu. She recited a spell that caused a column of water to explode underneath her opponent; Ryu dodged only by the barest of margins.  
  
He launched the occasional Hadouken as he skipped sideways, but an experienced eye could tell that his real concern was getting close to Ruby Heart. Yet despite his efforts, from the other side of the lines Strider Hiryu projected a rarely used but undeniable battlefield presence. As Ryu rolled to the ground to avoid yet another of Hiryu's slashes, he glanced back and saw Kirina enter far too late with a Sniping Arrow aimed in Ruby Heart's general direction. Come to think of it, how _did_ Kirina manage to even move with that enormous sword strapped on her back and the cloth tails dragging through the air?  
  
_For someone who wishes to be a true warrior, your mind drifts far too often._ Was it his imagination, or did Ryu hear Gouken's voice admonishing him in his head? Either way, there still remained the fact that Ruby Heart had begun chanting a spell; Ryu rolled forward out of the way as a column of water exploded underneath him. The maneuver bought him a sliver of time, but he was forced to dodge again as Ruby slung an anchor and launched it towards him. Ryu sidestepped it and while Ruby preoccupied herself with dragging the heavy anchor back, Ryu took the opportunity to cup his hands together in a distinct and feared stance.  
  
"Shinkuu ..." He focused his energy together, calling up his energy and directing it into a coherent form. In the use of energy attacks Ryu had very few peers, but Sakura Kasugano had been one of them. For a brief moment, Ryu's mind flittered to a conversation between McGrath and Gouken that he had overheard. _She calls up energy through sheer willpower, Gouken. Most people can't do that; we have to substitute focus for willpower. It's a difficult skill that takes years to acquire._ Later McGrath had shown Sakura how to draw energy using concentration in place of determination. The lesson fresh in his mind, Ryu focused intensely and nearly tumbled backwards as he felt raw power, more than he had thought possible, gather into his palms. "Hadouken!"  
  
Caught flat-footed by the blast, Ruby Heart nevertheless managed to hoist her anchor up and catch the worst of the attack on its metalwork. Still, the steady stream of the Shinkuu Hadouken pushed her backwards under its tremendous force and Ruby gritted her teeth as she ground her heels into the soft grass. By the time the surge died off, she was ready to collapse as hurriedly switched out with Strider Hiryu. Ryu also signaled for a change, but when nothing happened he quickly dashed off to his own side of the battlefield. "Kirina, quickly!"  
  
"Dad, I can't take Strider, he'll rip me to shreds for breakfast," Kirina hissed urgently.  
  
"You don't have to," Ryu answered shortly, not because he was cross but because he had run out of breath. "Just hold him off for a few minutes."  
  
"Fine." Kirina unslung her weapon and vaulted into the battlefield, landing in a ready fighting stance. Hiryu was waiting for her in the center of the field, but when she entered he dashed forward without preamble and aimed a powerful slash straight at her throat, an attack that Kirina struggled to parry. Still, her countermove must have caused him to reconsider; Hiryu watched her sword warily, perhaps unwilling to believe that any weapon of INRI's size could be wielded so deftly. Kirina tried her own rushdown, but Commando's sudden appearance and the spike of a Captain Commando killed it quite efficiently. Behind the safety of the electric pillar, Hiryu rushed threw a long energy blade off his sword that sheared through Kirina's skin.  
  
_He's so quick ..._ As hot blood began to seep through her hakama - Kirina spared a moment to glance down, thankfully the wound was only skin deep - the lady knight paused to reconsider her options. She dropped INRI for a moment as she fired off a quick Hadouken, but before the sword could touch the ground Kirina kicked its handle upwards again and caught it in a single, deft motion that won her a scream of approval from the overexcited Jin Saotome. When she refocused, Kirina glanced in front of herself but failed to see Strider. Unfortunately, there was a second's worth of delay before she located her enemy directly behind her and Strider moved in for the kill.  
  
"Well, Hiryu wastes no time," Ruby Heart remarked.  
  
Sagat's fortuitous appearance and a close-range Tiger Knee saved Kirina from a complete beatdown, but the World Warriors paid for it when Commando sailed across the battlefield with a Captain Kick and nailed Sagat in the stomach. Struggling to hold back the pain that seeped from half a dozen wounds, Kirina turned her attention back to Hiryu. No hostility emanated from those eyes. Only cold determination shone through Hiryu's expression as he emotionlessly narrowed down the distance to Kirina. Their swords clashed and rang, both fighters feeling the sheer force of the blows through the steel of the weapons. Hiryu's left arm whipped down with a vicious slash as he brought his grapple hook around his shoulder, striking Kirina with the flat of the blade as he did so. Continuing with the same motion, he drew the hook between their weapons and tugged, hard.  
  
But he jumped back appalled as his grapple hook snapped cleanly in two where he had tried to force INRI out of Kirina's hands. Kirina took advantage of the situation to step forward with a single strike directed downwards; this Hiryu avoided by rolling sideways at the last moment. A stream of fire blasted through the space that he had cleared and caught Kirina cleanly on the face, burning her hair for a brief moment. Kirina signaled Sagat for an assist, but Strider easily dodged the Tiger Shot that came his way and retaliated with a powerful side strike at Kirina's exposed left flank. His Falchion struck true and Kirina's bone gave way with a snap.  
  
Kirina prevented herself from screaming mainly by sheer force of will. She turned, called Sagat to replace her, and in doing so made her final mistake; Strider rushed through the opening she had given him and caught her around the waist. A moment later Kirina had been suspended in the air and Strider split off into different images, but only for a moment. Each image flew back dragging the lethal Cypher blade, converging on the helpless Kirina and slashing through her body. As the images vanished again, Hiryu himself reappeared and hooked Kirina around the neck with his leg, pulling her down to the ground ahead of him so that he landed with a stomp, driving her body into the unforgiving field.  
  
"And Kirina Houshi is out of the fight!" Kyosuke proclaimed. "The Emperor of Muay Thai enters into the ring and now the Neo Commando Squad has to face off against the lethal pair of Ryu and Sagat, both of whom are still quite fresh. If Hiryu is smart he'll switch out with Commando right now - no, Hiryu is staying in the fight! Watch how Hiryu is using Commando's Captain Collider, which strikes in front of both of them, to kill any attempt at rushdown while he exploits the openings that the Collider has afforded him. Knowing the Strider, he'll go for his much-hated Ouroboros technique at any time now. And you people thought that Chan was cheap."  
  
As yet another Collider withered away into nothingness, Hiryu struck at Sagat with an elbow to the side, but the Emperor of Muay Thai moved closer and absorbed the blow upon his rock-hard abdomen. An instant later, Sagat retaliated with his mighty Tiger Uppercut and sent Hiryu flying a good ten meters before crashing heavily into the ground. Hiryu wiped away the trickle of blood upon his chin; Sagat called Ryu for a covering fireball and dashed in, only to be stopped at point-blank range by the Captain Collider. His eyes fixed on his opponent, Hiryu had no trouble discerning the distinct motion of hands being drawn back to the chest. Even without a shout of warning from Ruby Heart, he already knew what his opponent intended for him.  
  
"Tiger -!" Sagat shot his arms out as a powerful sphere of energy, nearly as large as the emperor himself, roared off his knuckles and towards Hiryu. The ninja Strider, for his part, simply folded his hands and vanished into the air, the enormous fireball tearing through the air where he had been but a moment ago. Hiryu reappeared behind Sagat, intent on debilitating his opponent with a powerful Masamune attack, but he was caught by surprise when Sagat spun around in a tight half circle to face him directly. At point-blank range, Hiryu had no chance. Sagat roared "Cannon!" and two more of the oversized fireballs plowed into Hiryu's body, blasting through him with the force of a miniature sun.  
  
Nor was that all; as Hiryu held on frantically to the scraps of his consciousness, Ryu instantly took Sagat's place and unleashed another Shinkuu Hadouken, obliterating what was left of Hiryu's defense in one fell attack. Captain Commando knocked Ryu out of the Shinkuu Hadouken with a desperate Captain Collider, but by then the damage had already been done; Hiryu collapsed where he lay and Commando had to block the remainder of Ryu's attack. As the blast died away, Ruby Heart quickly appeared and offered an orb to Commando.  
  
"You're tired, Ryu," Commando observed.  
  
Ryu said nothing. From the side, Sagat threw in a Tiger Shot that Ruby Heart deftly countered with a column of water. When Ryu tried to rush in after Sagat's assist, Commando pulled a maneuver that the Ansatsuken fighter did not expect at all; he met the attack head on and they traded half a hundred blows before Ryu knocked Commando out of a kick with a fierce uppercut into his leg. But Ryu was unable to exploit his temporary advantage, for Ruby Heart blocked a follow-up strike with her rushdown assist. Ryu managed to deflect the flaming tackle, but Commando recovered as he did so and Ryu became grimly aware that he himself was fading, fast. "Sagat, your show!"  
  
Sagat leapt into the field without delay, clearing his way with a powerful lancing kick that Commando blocked high. In an instant Sagat had come right up to Commando with a merciless barrage of close range attacks, but Commando would have none of it. He gradually gave ground until Ruby Heart appeared and stuffed Sagat's offensive with an anchor toss. This the Emperor blocked, but in doing so he was forced to halt his attack and Commando fell back to the edge of the battlefield, breathing heavily. Sagat recovered and tried to force his way in again, but this time Commando held him at arm's length with a combination of his elemental attacks. Sagat finally broke past the perimeter defense, only to suffer the frustration of seeing Commando cross the battlefield and fly out of reach with a graceful Captain Kick.  
  
He pulled himself back for another barrage of Tiger Shots, but at long range Commando had him overmatched and Sagat decided to change his strategy after suffering two consecutive attacks by Commando and Ruby Heart. As Commando and Ruby paired up for another withering assault, Sagat deftly rolled underneath a pair of projectiles and closed down the distance to Commando by half. Sagat wasted no time; with a fearsome roar of "Tiger ... Genocide!" he launched himself into his most dreaded close-range technique, springing forward with a knee aimed straight at Commando's chin -  
  
As it turned out, Sagat should have signaled Ryu for cover fire earlier. Commando raised his arm up, called out "Captain Shock!", and vanished in an instant. Sagat's powerful strike hit only thin air; instantly he realized what his opponent intended and tried to halt the remainder of the attack, but by then Ruby Heart had already appeared on the far side of the battlefield, far too distant to be reached by the Tiger Genocide. She snapped her fingers and pointed; on cue, a massive pirate ship materialized out of thin air and slid with deadly speed towards Sagat, its jagged prow glistening wickedly in the autumn light. The Emperor of Muay Thai skidded forward and the ship spiked him, slicing cruelly into his body as it ground to an abrupt halt. Portals on both sides opened, revealing three tiers of menacing cannonry, and Sagat's last conscious thought was of how unlucky he was to have all of them pointing straight at him.  
  
Had that been a real ship, the injuries would undoubtedly have proven fatal; Jedah and Gill pulled Sagat off the battlefield barely alive. As Ryu entered the field, he felt that the odds were very much against him. Ruby Heart did not wait for her tired opponent to seize the initiative; instead, she herself dashed across the field and met Ryu head-on with a punch. Ryu blocked, lashed back with a kick, then ducked as Commando sent a stream of flames flying over his head. When Ruby slung an anchor over her shoulder and hurled it at him, Ryu vaulted over the anchorhead and planted his foot into her face with an airborne Hurricane Kick. Ruby staggered; Commando jumped in with a Collider, but even as he planted his fist into the ground, Ryu's next move had already come out.  
  
"Shin ... Shoryuken!" Commando's Collider blasted right through Ryu without effect as the latter ducked into a crouch and placed his left fist into a still-reeling Ruby Heart. His right hand rose with unbelievable speed, causing a sickening crunch as it slammed into her stomach. Then Ryu took the attack one step further, lancing his fist up into her chin; with a clearly audible snap, the jawbone gave way and Kyosuke Kagami winced from his position in the commentator's booth. Ryu and Ruby both flew into the air as the powerful Shin Shoryuken landed one final blow; Ruby Heart practically flew to the other side of the battlefield, all of the fight knocked out of her.  
  
Ryu landed on his feet, but as he forced himself to look up at his last opponent, sweat pouring down his brow, he understood that the fight was already over. Commando knew it too; silent understanding flashed between the two warriors as Commando raised his arm, lightning crackling down the length of his fingers. Ryu had no strength left to resist an all-out attack from Commando as that last Shin Shoryuken had drained his vitality. Even as Commando projected a beam of material electricity high above his head - even as he cried "Captain Sword!" and brought it down with punishing force - the look of respect in his eyes never faded. The pillar of lightning crashed into the field and Ryu closed his eyes, for once glad that he had lost the battle.


	29. Finals: One World, One Fate

**Finals: One World, One Fate**

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**Author's Notes:** This is it, the big bad villain of the story finally makes her first permanent appearance. M.'s movelist has been added to the website under the Single Entries page (the webpage for _Colliding Worlds_, as always, can be found in my author's profile). Read it, then send me e-mails about how cheap/overpowered she is compared to - well, anyone, basically. No flames, please. I know you guys are still reading this even if no one's bothered to drop a review.

* * *

_ Osaka, Japan  
Four days have passed _  
  
"The final is tomorrow," Captain Commando remarked matter-of-factly. "This wait is killing me."  
  
"Look on the bright side," Ruby Heart called back, "no one has vanished yet."  
  
Commando nodded as he glanced out a window at his back, where Sagat and Ryu occupied themselves training in the outdoor gym. From another chair, Samantha McGrath studied the two warriors with a thoughtful gaze. Commando stood up and began to pace around, watched by the two women. Alone in a corner of the room, Strider Hiryu polished his weapons with a soft, silken cloth. "That's almost worse," Commando continued. "Samantha's still here, the World Warrior team is still present ... it feels ... I dunno, how do you describe it?"  
  
"Like the calm before the nor'easter," Ruby supplied.  
  
"Exactly. The past few days have been quiet. Too quiet, in fact ... I wonder if our tournament host has a nasty surprise planned for us?" Commando stroked his chin thoughtfully. While lost in thought, someone placed a cup of tea in his hand and he nearly drank it before he realized what he was doing. "Oh, thank you, Regina. Didn't see you coming in. Say, how much can you tell us about Marin?"  
  
Regina smiled as she placed a tray of teacups on the table in the lounge. A delicious aroma wafted from each of them and Commando felt his stomach lurch; he'd been so nervous that he'd forgotten to eat anything in the past dozen hours. Imagine how his old squadmates would laugh if they found _that_ out! "Between the two of us," Regina began, "Marin has always been the stronger one. I tend to avoid conflict; Marin tries to negotiate a peaceful settlement whenever possible, but she won't shy away from force if it becomes necessary. But my sister and I get along very well despite being fundamentally different in personality. I know that, should anything threaten me, it will first have to go through Marin, and that is no easy task. Is that what you wished to know, captain?"  
  
"That's very informative, certainly," Commando said, "but not what I wanted. You know, of course, that Marin plainly stated that the winners of the tournament would face her in the finals. What I want to know is how she fights. Surely you've seen her in action before?"  
  
Regina tilted her head to one side as she seated herself on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. "My sister ... there is something you should know, captain. It is exceedingly rare for a god or goddess to fight against a mortal - we consider it beneath our dignity and something of a disgrace. Normally, we would dispatch an angel or an Einherjar for the task, but ... obviously, my sister considers this a matter of great enough importance that she is willing to swallow her pride and see to it herself. Please understand, captain - even in a contest of pure skill and no power, I very doubt that you could defeat her. My sister has honed her arts all of her life - I myself could destroy this world in a heartbeat, but I could not stand up to her. Of course, she and I both prefer not to resort to force except when necessary."  
  
"If she's really that powerful," Commando wanted to know, "why would she bother with a show like this?"  
  
Regina paused. "The gods help those who help themselves - I can aid you, captain, but you must first be willing to try. If I had to guess, I would think that my sister is testing you to see if you're willing to fight your hardest against her. I've never known for her to ask any more than a person put his heart behind his effort, and she takes care of the rest. Captain, try not to worry over whether you can defeat her or not. You can't win, but she won't ask you to. I refuse to believe that my sister would become anyone's enemy."  
  
"You really believe that?" Ruby Heart asked from another corner. "Didn't you say that this was all guesswork at best, and that you really had no idea what Marin intended? Maybe I'm being too suspicious here, but when someone kidnaps people that I know left and right, I have to assume that she might not be the most friendly of strangers." No one had disappeared in the past few days, but if anything that only made them all more tense. Kirina had trouble sleeping at night, Samantha looked completely distraught, and even Sagat and Hiryu felt the situation weighing down on them. Gill was not present to argue away their emotions - come to think of it, no one except Regina had seen him after the semifinals match.  
  
"That ... I can't explain," Regina answered after a long silence. "I have implicit trust in Marin, but I suppose it's only natural for you to have your suspicions. But my sister really is a great person once you get to know her."  
  
"I beg to differ." Captain Commando nearly jumped out of his seat with surprise, instinctively swinging around with a head-level strike that his wits failed to recall in time. His arm lanced out and Dadallent calmly blocked it; the resulting loss of balance caused Commando to fall over and land on the carpeted floor. Commando picked himself up warily, keeping his eyes fixed on Dadallent. How had the Chaos Prince managed to come within half a meter of him, and all silently no less? A quick glance confirmed that Ruby and Samantha seemed equally surprised, but Regina and Hiryu had displayed no reaction at all. Hiryu kept a lone, murderous eye on Dadallent, but he remained still.  
  
"_You_ were sentenced for your crimes, nothing more," Regina said to Dadallent.  
  
"I was young, foolish, and filled with ambition, goddess. What did I know?" Dadallent stood very still, piercing the entire room with his unseeing gaze. Reflexively Commando found himself sinking into a fighting stance - Dadallent never seemed to cast off that threatening aura of his. Still, even the captain had to admit that the more he saw Dadallent and Regina together, the more that the Chaos Prince intrigued him. It was obvious that the man had a connection with the goddess that stretched very far back; Commando wondered what it could be. Behind Commando, Samantha's hand had curled into a fist, but like Hiryu she made no move.  
  
"You know how I feel about your whole situation, Dadallent," Regina continued. "If I had had my way, you wouldn't suffer like this right now. But you asked my sister, not me, to judge you. Foolish man - you wanted to be cursed then, didn't you? I don't have the authority to lift it, you know."  
  
"I have accepted my fate," Dadallent replied. "Enough of me. Have you thought over what I said to you?"  
  
"Yes, and I'm really, really torn. I still don't understand what you're talking about, Dadallent, and if you don't tell me straight out, then I'm afraid I never will. But I have decided." Regina abruptly stood up and motioned to the others in the room. "I know now what I must do. Would the rest of you please wait for me in my room? There's something I need to do before tomorrow's event - and call Ryu and Sagat, please." Commando saluted and they filed out, leaving Regina and the Chaos Prince behind in the solitary room. Regina waited a few minutes after they had vanished before she addressed Dadallent. "Can I be honest with you? I'm afraid - I'm terribly afraid. I don't know what Marin will do and I can't predict the future. All I ever wanted was to make friends here, but now that I have ... I - I don't think that I'm strong enough to do this!"  
  
"Strength?" Dadallent reflected thoughtfully. "What is strength? I understand the idea of strength, and thus I can say that you are far stronger than you know, goddess. My strength springs from the fist, but yours comes from your heart. Which of us is truly mightier than the other?"  
  
"From the heart ...? It's true that I've always disliked fighting, but ... what should I do?"  
  
"I can point the way, but you must walk it."  
  
"You sound just like Marin, saying that," Regina replied, and she giggled a little. They began to walk together, slowly, out of the room and into the corridors where the staff shivered as Dadallent stalked by. "To be frank, I was quite surprised to meet you here. It has been ten thousand years since you were exiled from Dacia, hasn't it? Would you like to return there after all this is over?"  
  
"You would never consent to it, goddess, if you understood me. Marin's curse made me a killer and that is all I am, all that is left of the once-proud prince." They rounded a corner and entered the long hallways that branched off to the individual rooms. "I murdered your angel without mercy. You are not a warrior, so I won't waste your time with a challenge - but, when all this is over, I want to try my strength against your sister. She ought to provide something of a challenge; killing these poor excuses for opponents grows tiring."  
  
"You may get your chance sooner than you expect." Dadallent opened the door for Regina and she stepped into her room. Sparsely furnished and quite simple, it nonetheless exuded a tranquil aura of peace and contentment. Regina counted the faces present: seven in all, excluding herself and the Chaos Prince. Both of the teams that had participated in the semifinals were present, as was the _Phantom_ captain Samantha McGrath. Quiet conversation died down as Regina seated herself on her bed. She spoke only after a long moment of composing herself and began, "My friends, I asked you here for a reason. I do not know what my sister wants to do and I cannot guess, so as a safety precaution, I want to soulbind each of you to an angel."  
  
Heads turned at that statement as the silence of the room gave way to murmuring and speculation. What did Regina mean? She held up a hand and the assembled warriors quieted again. "Soulbinding involves joining two souls together. When I bind an angel to you, she will sense the world through your eyes and your minds will be joined together. Doing this will dramatically increase both your physical and spiritual power. But I don't want to seem as if I'm forcing this on you; if there's anyone who doesn't want to do this, I understand. Either you or your angel may release the bind at any time. Let's see ... there are seven of you, unless you also want to do this, Dadallent?"  
  
He shook his head and replied, "I fight by my own strength alone."  
  
"So be it. Show yourselves, angels." They materialized out of thin air in an instant - seven all told, all women, all of them dressed in the white and blue silk uniforms of the divine armies. Each angel stood tall and physically perfect, but there were wide variations in their appearances. Regina smiled and introduced them. "Ladies and gentlemen, meet my angels: Raine, Jacqueline, Kara, Misty, Sophia, Constance, and Rynn. Angels, these are the final contestants in Marin's tournament: Strider Hiryu, Samantha McGrath, Ryu, Kirina Houshi, Sagat, Ruby Heart, and Captain Commando. And over there in the corner is someone you already know." Dadallent sketched a cursory bow and the others were not at all reassured by the looks the angels sent his way.  
  
"Choose an angel, each of you, and hold your palms to hers," Regina instructed. "And don't be alarmed; soulbinding requires a considerable amount of power to effect. Now, in order for this to work, both participants must be fully willing to do this. Try to relax; this won't hurt. Concentrate only on your partner." So saying, Regina closed her eyes and clasped her hands together as her aura suddenly seemed to awaken, temporarily blinding all of them. Kirina and Ruby Heart shivered at the enormous cascade of power that seemed to wrap around them; compared to it, the mightiest hurricane in the world was but a drop of water next to the ocean, and yet it was a gentle and soothing energy that sang as it entwined each person with his or her angel. A pair of translucent wings, filled with light, sprang out of Regina's back as a golden aura enveloped her. That same aura encompassed all of them; there was a brilliant flash of light, a sensation of a hot wind tearing through one's body, and then it was over.  
  
Ryu picked himself up and glanced in the mirror. Physically he looked no different, but already his senses were expanding - his vision and hearing greatly improved, and he could sense many more shining spirits in the same room as well as a tainted soul where Dadallent stood. Perhaps he was both faster and stronger; certainly his body felt as though it brimmed with energy, and he knew instinctively that his angel Rynn provided him with a direct channel to divine power.  
  
"Regina!"  
  
Ryu's head whipped around; Commando had let out a startled cry, and now he understood why. Dadallent knelt at the foot of Regina's bed, supporting her head on his shoulder as he carefully laid her still form in a more comfortable position on the mattress. Blood trickled out of her mouth and into the Chaos Prince's uniform; Dadallent staunched the flow by pressing his bright red scarf to Regina's lips. Then he propped her head up on a pillow and drew a pair of blankets over her. Regina looked unnervingly pale. With nearly all the color drained from her face and her breath almost nonexistent, anyone could have mistaken her for a corpse.  
  
"What happened?" Commando demanded. "Dadallent, did you -"  
  
"She overextended herself," Dadallent answered matter-of-factly. "She wanted to give your soulbinds as many advantages as possible, and overtaxed herself quite severely. Her life is in no danger, but she will require time to recover, as well as quiet and solitude. The exit is that way." He pointed to the door and the others exited slowly, he himself withdrawing last from the room and locking the door. The other warriors filed away to the main plaza, but Dadallent himself stalked off in the opposite direction - or would have, had not Ryu turned around and caught up with him. "Yes, Ryu?"  
  
"Tell me, Dadallent - now that I've been soulbound, what's to prevent me from avenging Master Gouken's death on you right here?"  
  
"You're welcome to try, if you wish," Dadallent replied without turning around, though he did stop walking. "At the same time, realize this, Ryu. I have seen the goddess Marin before; if in case you need to face her tomorrow, you will need all of your strength and much more. Don't be foolish, Ryu. Even soulbound to Rynn, you are still not quite a match for me. Find me after tomorrow's event if you are still alive. You are not a true warrior, but I was never picky about opponents at any rate."  
  
"Not a true warrior ...?" Ryu echoed venomously.  
  
Dadallent laughed; it was a harsh, derisive laugh that struck at Ryu like a physical blow. "Don't fool yourself, Ryu. The true warrior fights with his own strength alone and accepts no aid from anyone. You rely on your angel's power through your soulbinding and thus you are not a true warrior."  
  
"I did this because, much as I love the fight itself, I still have a conscience. The world needs me, Dadallent, and so I will fight for my friends. I'm not afraid to borrow power to do so, if it will improve my chances at a victory. That's the essential difference between us, Chaos Prince - you care for nothing and no one other than yourself, but I care. I will fight for my friends, even if it means forfeiting my status as a 'true' warrior."  
  
"And that is why you will never be a match for me, Ryu," Dadallent said. He did not snarl, or threaten, or spit out the words. He simply said them as he resuming his steady stride down the hallways.  
  
"Which of us is really better than the other?" Ryu called after him.

* * *

_Osaka, Japan_  
_One day has passed_  
  
"This is it, ladies and gentlemen!" Jin Saotome screamed. The sun shone down from its zenith over Osaka Dome; despite the fact that he had been hollering for the past two hours during the preliminary shows, Jin's voice sounded as robust as ever. "That worthless rat Kagami has disappeared, so I will be the sole commentator today! It's the finals match! Can you feel the excitement, the anticipation, the tension crackling in the air!? This is it, people! Today we find out the identity behind the mysterious host M.! And if it's another mad dictator bent on world domination, I'm gonna punch him into the stratosphere with Blodia!"  
  
The stadium glittered in the sunlight. Every bleacher had been jam-packed to overflowing, with half again as many spectators watching from the sidelines. And the video sets surrounding the entire field were simply massive; it was, after all, a world-wide broadcast. Standing in the center of it all, Captain Commando experienced simultaneous feelings of elation and wariness. Elation, because they had finally done it - the Neo Commando Squad was the best team in the tournament. Wariness, because they were about to run against the host of the tournament, the one person on whom the Federation had no files at all. From the moment that his team appeared in the doorway, jubilant crowds had liberally showered them with confetti and cheers. Samantha and the World Warrior team watched from the sidelines, carefully concealed in the arena; as for Dadallent, no one had seen him after the soulbinding ritual.  
  
Meanwhile, Jedah Dohma consulted an expensive gold pocketwatch and grumbled to himself. "It is almost time," he remarked to Commando and Ruby. "No sign of Gill anywhere. I wonder what he could possibly be doing?"  
  
"Haven't heard a word from him," Commando answered. He might've said more, but just then the event began.  
  
Light, seven times more brilliant than any star could shine, cascaded down into the arena from above. Commando instinctively put up an arm, but to his amazement the light seemed to penetrate straight through it. Even stranger, it did not harm his eyes and he clearly saw through his scarlet shades that everywhere people were equally surprised. The beam of light stopped at the edge of the arena's pit, effectively separating himself and his team from the massed spectators. What a warm and gentle light ... and, once he thought about it, a familiar one. Wasn't this the same light that had illuminated McGrath's titanic battle against Akuma?  
  
If so, that was bad news.  
  
But it was not Commando who was attacked; rather, Jedah Dohma suddenly screamed as a shaft of light, brighter than all the rest, shot down from the heavens and formed a cone around him. He thrashed wildly for a horrible second before he was lifted clear off the ground, a parchment of paper congealing underneath his body. Commando rushed forward, reaching for the distressed vampire's hand; yet for all that the light seemed intangible, it might as well have been solid steel. Commando's glove slipped off harmlessly. Jedah screamed incoherently, indeed a pitiable sight, and Commando could only stare in morbid horror as the vampire was pulled down into the scroll. Bloodstained runes appeared on its surface as he was pulled in, and once he had vanished into the scroll, all that remained was an agonized image beating against the bloody locks that imprisoned his soul. Then the paper abruptly rolled up as golden threads appeared and wrapped themselves around it, sealing it with three glittering seals.  
  
"What is going on here?!" Ruby Heart asked in a trembling voice.  
  
Commando had no idea of what to say. An answer appeared anyways; something brushed against his uniform and Commando glanced down to see a feather gliding gently to the ground. As the captain looked up, he saw _her_ for the first time. Even without Regina's visions, there could be no mistaking the description. Flaming scarlet hair, brilliant blue eyes, a pair of wings that shone with all the colors of the rainbow ... Marin descended like a true goddess, landing lightly in front of them. She knelt as the divine light died away, leaving only a golden curtain surrounding the arena. She reached down and picked up Jedah's scroll; as Commando watched, it seemed to ... melt ... into her hand. Once it had dissolved to nothing, Marin stood upright again and looked at him directly, her light-filled wings slowly fading into oblivion. The expression on her face was not unkind.  
  
"Greetings," she spoke, and she smiled as she bowed. "I am Marin, the host of this tournament. It is an honor to make your acquaintance." Dimly Commando became aware of a commotion in the crowd, though he had no idea whether it was chaos or jubilation. Though he nodded courteously in reply, Marin's capture of Jedah had only served to increase his wariness. Before he could make the proper introductions, however, Strider pushed past him and halted in front of Marin, weapons at the ready.  
  
"Where are our friends?" he demanded roughly. "Where's Chan?!"  
  
"Your friends are safe, Hiryu," she answered, folding both of her hands in front of her heart. "I have held them securely for you. Fear not, they will come to no harm." She waved as Samantha McGrath and the World Warriors approached from the side entrance. "I summoned you here for a special purpose. First, I must restore what I have taken."  
  
She nodded at Samantha and the _Phantom_ leader staggered somewhat as her memories of that ill-fated chase through Osaka came flooding back. Samantha stared at Marin and whispered, "Why?"  
  
"You have a peculiar quality about you, Samantha," Marin answered. "You are not completely mortal. In you flows the blood of the dragonkind, though it is weak and diluted. I wished to ascertain this for myself; my sincerest apologies for what I did."  
  
"And Ernest?"  
  
"He is safe though absent, as are your other friends." When Samantha nodded her understanding, Marin turned to the World Warriors, but none of them posed a question. Marin paused for a moment. When it became clear that none of them had any more to say, she pressed ahead. "Surely you must wonder why I have called you to this place. I am the goddess Marin and I require your assistance. First, I wish to see your strength. Do not restrain yourselves - fight with all your strength against me, all of you. Show me why you succeeded where so many others have failed. Begin when you are prepared, and fear not - no harm shall befall you or your companions should you fail." So saying, Marin sketched a curtsy and vanished, reappearing at the edge of the arena, far away from the center. She wore a tight, form-fitting uniform similar to the type that Regina's angels had sported, only hers was far more elaborate. Yet in spite of its intricate ornamentation, it was clearly built to allow her to move in any direction with freedom and speed. She folded her hands beneath her breasts and nodded to the warriors.  
  
At a signal from Commando, the Neo Commandos began to spread out in a wide semicircle. The World Warriors, on the other hand, wasted no time. "Let's do this," Kirina said.  
  
"I'm with you," Ryu agreed as he placed his palms alongside his daughter's outstretched hands, standing behind her.  
  
"Here we go," Sagat breathed. He clenched his fists as he stood behind Ryu and pressed them against the hands of his teammates. It was the deadly configuration that had destroyed M. Bison in a single, grand attack. Only that this time, with three angels attached to each warrior, the resulting attack promised to prove far more potent. Energy gathered and three voices blended into one mighty shout. "Obliterate!"  
  
The brilliant, sun-like sphere that marked the Fatal Obliterator coalesced into their hands, only that instead of a small, softball-sized fireball, this time it emerged as a sphere nearly the size of the three warriors combined. It blasted off towards Marin with the speed of a bullet, eating up the distance between them at an incredible rate. The light from the energy ball made it almost impossible to see, so brightly did it shine. Seeking out its target, it found her at the edge of the arena and homed in with lethal accuracy. Marin casually lifted a hand and knocked it away, where it struck the gold curtains and washed out harmlessly along them.  
  
Ryu stared; they all did. An attack many times more powerful than the one that had destroyed Bison, and Marin had simply batted it away like an annoying mosquito? Before they had quite recovered from the shock, Marin pointed a finger at them and a small lance of energy appeared on its tip. It did not look impressive by any standard - even Dan's Gadouken was larger - but Ryu felt the energy contained in that small energy spear and his body turned completely cold with dread. Was this the true power of a goddess, so far above his own that no comparison was possible? "We can't stop that," he whispered hoarsely to his teammates.  
  
Marin released the bolt; Ryu and his teammates jumped to the side, but it struck before they had landed and exploded all around them, engulfing them in a massive wash of energy. Kirina and Sagat landed heavily, both of them rendered unconscious by the attack; as for Ryu, he struggled to keep his eyes open and saw the other four warriors rush in on Marin from four different directions. Completely unfazed, the goddess met each one head-on. A minute's worth of fighting ensued, but then Marin broke free from the press. As Ryu watched, he saw to his horror that Ruby Heart had already been knocked out. Ryu could only rage against his own helplessness; no doubt Marin's attack on him would have proven fatal were he not soulbound to the angel Rynn, and even then his body had been battered into submission. Mentally, he felt Rynn strain against the pain as she struggled to absorb it from him.  
  
Commando projected his enormous Captain Sword high above his head and brought it crashing down, but Marin raised an arm and caught it easily enough. Commando strained; Marin retaliated by seizing the beam of energy with her other hand. She swung around and pulled hard, levering Commando around over her head before bringing him crashing into the ground. Nor did it end there; Marin sent a wave of energy skimming along the ground and it blasted through Commando, throwing him after thirty meters backwards to land heavily upon Ryu. Samantha and Strider converged on Marin, but though they approached her from opposite sides, she kept them at bay. Strider's blade flashed in the brilliant noontime sun as he and Samantha struck at their dangerous opponent, but Marin somehow managed to parry each attack as it came out. _She must be at least as skilled as Dadallent ... perhaps even as skilled as McGrath,_ Ryu thought hazily.  
  
They traded sixty or seventy attacks before Marin seemed to find an opening; she struck Samantha in the stomach and the _Phantom_ leader flew backwards, crashing heavily into the ground where she stayed motionless. Now it was down to Marin against the Strider, where anyone could see that the latter was horribly outmatched. Strider moved with superhuman speed enhanced by the power of his angel, yet he could not so much as touch the goddess. Marin caught the Cypher blade in her hands and executed a fancy backflip kick, knocking it cleanly out of Strider's hands. A ball of energy formed in her right palm, but she suddenly aborted the attack and instead jumped straight up, clearing the ground by a healthy twenty or thirty meters. Nor was she a moment too swift; instantly an enormous metallic arm rammed through the space that she had just cleared. Floating in midair, Marin turned and saw where it came from. An oversized war robot had somehow appeared in the arena, and even from his position in the dust Ryu could hear its pilot screaming orders and obloquy.  
  
Jin Saotome had arrived.  
  
Marin sighed. "You cannot always have a machine fight in your place, human," she said softly, though the words echoed through the air. A pair of gatling guns appeared in front of the pilot's seat and Jin released them in an instant, showering Marin with bullets. For her part, Marin continued to soar in the sky as the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off a shield that surrounded her. Jin must have made a sudden change in his decision on how to approach the battle, for the rain of bullets suddenly stopped. Blodia drew its titanic fist back, wound up, and unleashed a punch aimed straight at Marin. It struck squarely and true.  
  
Except that it did not have the desired effect. Marin did not move so much as an inch from her vantage point in the air; Blodia's arm trembled with the force of the impact, then it slowly began to rattle. From the pilot's seat, Jin screamed in anger and frustration as multiple armor failures began to register from all over his machine. Blodia shook even more intensely. Right in front of Jin's disbelieving eyes, a massive finger joint broke apart and dropped down to the arena grounds. Then another, and an armor plate, and yet another, until Blodia began to fall apart. Cursing profusely, Jin struck the eject button and propelled himself into the air, landing softly on the ground as his retrorockets kicked into gear. Behind him, Blodia fell apart into a massive heap of junk metal.  
  
Marin also landed; when she did, Jin and Strider converged on her simultaneously, but Marin simply knelt and touched a finger to the ground. When she did, an enormous energy explosion tore through the center of the arena and rapidly spread out until it had engulfed the entire arena, blasting through everything in its path. Ryu's last conscious sight was of the massive shockwave ramming into him. Jin, blasted against the golden curtains that seemed to stop everything, slumped down to the ground with blood streaming from his head. Only Strider grimly held on to his consciousness, mainly by the sheer force of his will. He slowly raised his head as he heard the sound of footsteps, but even that simple motion taxed his body to its fullest. Every last cell was wracked with pain and he felt as though he were burning from within; the agony of it made his sight uncertain.  
  
Marin knelt down by the fallen ninja and raised his head. Exhausted and battered as he was, Strider was still taken completely by surprise to see only compassion in those beautiful blue eyes. As she touched him, he caught a glimpse of her vitality and her power. He felt her strength through her touch and it was then that he realized just how much of herself Marin had held back during the all too brief battle. Her voice, when she spoke, sounded like a crystal clear stream laced with a musical lilt. "Is that all, Hiryu? Did I not restrain myself sufficiently? Or have you surrendered all will to fight?" Her voice hardened as she projected it all over the entire stadium. It held no heat but much iron and at that moment she projected all the inexorable will of a goddess. "That cannot be the extent of your strength! Stand up and fight, I command you!"  
  
Unseen vitality flooded into the battered warriors as they rose; wounds knit up right before their eyes, withered flesh healed, and broken bones mended. They stared at her, amazed. For her part, Marin withdrew to the center of the arena before she spoke again. "I have judged you too harshly," she said, "and I will restrain myself more. Come, do not hesitate to injure me."  
  
None of the warriors needed a second bidding and they converged upon Marin from eight different sides. Strider was swiftest and he reached her first, but his initial attack was swept aside and when Marin struck back her fist nearly broke one of his bones. Pain again lanced through him; Ryu fired a Hadouken at her, but Marin simply absorbed the attack with no consequence to show from it. Ryu and Jin together reached close-combat distance, only that Marin held all three of them at bay. However swift they were, she was still faster, and the attacks that came from outside seemed to have no effect on her. Ryu finally managed to land a heavy Shoryuken into her, but Marin recovered in midair and lashed out with a kick on the way down, knocking Jin out of the fight.  
  
Sagat joined in, he and Ryu striving to bring the battle as close to Marin as possible, but she would have none of it. She kept each of them at an arm's distance despite all efforts to close the gap; when Strider lashed out with a long-range strike, Marin somehow managed to rush in underneath the attack with impossible speed and put him into a takedown, driving all the breath out of his body with a strike into the stomach. Sagat rammed a knee into her temple from behind and Marin reeled, but she recovered even as Samantha continued with a powerful Minerva kick into the chin. Marin struck at Sagat with an open palmed punch; he blocked it, but guard crushed anyways and flew back a good ten meters under the force of the attack. Ryu feinted to the side as Commando and Kirina stepped in to fight; from the sidelines, Ruby Heart offered as much support as she could, but even a beginner could see that her magic was useless against the power of a goddess. Commando struck the ground with a powerful Collider that blasted through Marin; completely unaffected, she knocked him into the air with an uppercut and then swung her back leg around, driving him into the ground with her heel. Just then something tore into her back and Marin gasped, more from surprise than pain. She wheeled around to see Kirina holding a very distinctive sword, etched with half-forgotten Latin phrases. The goddess recognized her own blood dripping off the edge of one of the blades and healed herself, but the pain that had seared into her spirit still remained. There could be no doubt it was Regina's own weapon, INRI, conceived of by the Almighty Himself. Kirina swung again and Marin dodged; though she had never faced INRI in battle before, plainly any touch from that blade proved deadly at best. Kirina lunged forward with a strike and Marin sidestepped it, taking the opportunity to kick the sword out of her hands while simultaneously stuffing a kick from Ryu before it could come out. Kirina ran to recover her blade and Marin held up a hand. "Enough! I tire of this charade, it is time for you to join your friends! _Vacuo Vitalis!_"  
  
Marin held up her right hand and clenched it into a fist as a pair of night-black wings erupted from her back, giving her the appearance of a sinister angel. Her face hardened into an expression of total concentration as reality itself shattered and broke away, to be replaced by an all-encompassing nothingness. Light, color, and sound vanished, ceasing to have any meaning. Instead, absolute blackness filled the entire arena and Ryu cast one wild glance around. He could see nothing beyond the broken and battered forms of his comrades and the goddess herself, but immense power converged upon Marin where she stood. Then the Void tilted - how, he could not tell - and Ryu felt an invisible and irresistible force sweep him up in its grasp. He tried desperately to move, unsure if direction even had meaning in this darkness beyond darkness, and like the proverbial fly caught in the spider's web could do nothing. The invisible current swept each of his friends up and pulled each of them inexorably inwards to ... to ... to Marin's clenched fist. Ryu felt his body shrink as the Void drew him inwards and by the time the first of his companions vanished into Marin's hand he stood no taller than the height of her pupils. The last trails of the Void pulled inwards and took him along. Ryu vanished into nothingness as sweet darkness welcomed him into a different world. 


	30. Dreams of a Goddess

**Dreams of a Goddess**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** A new soundtrack has been added to the website; due to space constraints, I had to take down some of the others, so e-mail me if you still want them. "The Last Hurrah" is Marin's battle theme. No, this isn't the final chapter, but now that the story is definitely winding down ... I feel both relieved and saddened at the same time. Anyways, have fun reading this (absurdly long) chapter.

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Darkness. Darkness everywhere. Tangible, true darkness, so real that it seemed to breathe and pulsate with life. It stretched infinite distances in any direction - did direction even have meaning? - unbroken, untainted, stilled. No light shone in this vast emptiness where space and time themselves ceased to have purpose or existence. Only a small, still sound broke the deathlike silence and tranquility of the vast emptiness. It was a heartbeat.  
  
_Who am I?_  
  
Alone, at peace - _have I ever felt so relaxed and calm before?_ - the lone figure drifted contently out of space and time. Her memory lay clean and confused before her and she idly picked through the events of her past life. What had happened before she had arrived here? She remembered a smiling face bearing a kind and gentle expression, belonging to someone she knew well. That was her ... mother, the word required a moment to remember. And if that was her mother, then her mother's counterpart - a father, was it? - she instantly conjured an image of a man with a strong, intense, and not unkind gaze. She could not see his face very well, nor that of her mother, but instead from each one she remembered a distinct emotion: strength in her father, resilience in her mother. Events from her life scrolled by and she casually picked through them. Happiness here, joy there, sorrow, pain, friendship, betrayal, confusion, anger, love. Images of undefined shapes moving in beautiful dances. A great black emptiness like the one in which she drifted, changing her view of existence. And she was ...  
  
That brought her up short. She had no idea _who_ she was. She heard a heartbeat and knew for certain that it was hers, so she existed. She had a concept of self, so she was human. Yet this was all academic knowledge that she knew but did not experience. Strive as she might, she could not remember anything that might contribute to her sense of identity. Confusion and the first traces of panic had begun to set in when she first heard another voice, calling to her.  
  
"Awaken, Kirina."  
  
Kirina. Yes, that was her name, Kirina Houshi. All that she knew and remembered returned in a rush as the darkness fell away, to be replaced by ... by what, she didn't know. But now she had recovered her identity and as she stood she felt a small weight in her hand - INRI, an old and trusted friend. Then she took a good look at her surroundings and nearly gasped aloud. Wherever she happened to be, it shone with a ethereal, beautiful sheen that seemed to emanate from the objects themselves. Kirina stood on a broad sheet of crystal that seemed to stretch an infinite distance in every direction, a thousand hues and colors reflecting off its faceted surface with soft light. It looked translucent enough and Kirina could see stars on a pitch-black background through the thin sheet. Only that they shone far nearer to her than any star that could be observed on earth; half a hundred stars and comets blazed through the heavens at any given time, emitting soft, aurora-like lights as they passed. The scene was truly one to dwell upon, but then Kirina caught sight of something that made her forget the breathtaking beauty of wherever it was that she stood.  
  
Suspended perhaps about half a meter off the thin crystal sheets where Kirina stood, a flat pane of the same crystal material hung vertically suspended in the air. It stretched high and broad but not very wide - in effect a one-inch thick window that floated in the air. And tightly sealed within that crystal sheet ... "Uncle Ken?" Kirina whispered in disbelief. She ran around to the front of the glittering cage, where Ken's features could be more easily seen through the translucent crystal. Somehow all of his body had been squeezed within a single-inch thick prison, but from the front he looked no different than usual. "Uncle Ken?!" Kirina shouted. "Hold up, I'll get you out of there!"  
  
Ken Masters looked up and saw Kirina; in an instant he pressed himself against the flat crystal face and banged on it. He shouted at Kirina, but though his mouth formed the words Kirina could hear nothing. She also found lipreading too difficult through the faceted faces of the crystal, and she could only wave her arms to signal him to retreat. Ken did so, backing off to the rear of his cell - not much distance - and Kirina swung INRI at the crystal prison. The blade cleaved through the air with a lovely hum and struck the crystal pane true, but a blow that would otherwise have sliced cleanly through stone failed to make so much as a dent in the prismatic crystal. Frustrated, Kirina swung again and once more INRI's blade rang on the crystal. The sheer force of the attack numbed Kirina's arms and still nothing had been accomplished.  
  
"You cannot free him," a voice interrupted.  
  
Kirina whipped around, her crucifix of a sword held in a ready fighting position. About three meters away, Marin watched both Ken and Kirina with a carefully neutral expression. She still sported the combat uniform that Kirina had seen her in earlier, but now Marin also had a very dangerous looking twin-bladed staff strapped on her back. It shone with rainbow hues like the crystal that they stood on, only the weapon itself was made of solid metal. Marin's ominous black wings had vanished. "You cannot free him," she repeated. "I alone have the authority to release him."  
  
"So you _did_ kidnap everyone," Kirina growled. "Let him go - let them all go - or I'll separate your head from its neck."  
  
"Will you truly do so?" Marin asked. Another sheet of crystal materialized out of thin air behind her, much like the one that held Ken, only this one was empty. Marin waved a hand to indicate the vast emptiness all around them. "Watch your surroundings carefully, Kirina, before you attempt a rash undertaking. What do you see?"  
  
Kirina pulled her eyes away from Marin after a long moment of hesitation, but when she did, she saw to her shock that the endless crystal plane was not as empty as she had first assumed it to be. Instead, spread out in a very wide circle of which she and Ken occupied only a single edge, similar crystal prisons hung suspended in the air at regular intervals and Kirina stared in a mixture of disbelief and horror. Even worse, many were faces that she recognized - M. Bison, Ibuki, Rose, Charlie, Darrell, Edgar, and even her own mother Juli had been locked away somewhat to her left. Jill, Guy, Lloyd, Karin, Sakura, Kyosuke, and Morrigan lay suspended in similar crystalline cages. And there were so many of them ... Kirina whipped her gaze back to Marin just in time to see the empty crystal sheet behind Marin spiderweb into a thousand cracks. A moment later it shattered and dissolved into bits of prismatic glass before vanishing altogether.  
  
Marin turned around and began to walk away towards the center of the circle formed by her grisly gallery. "At last you have awakened, Kirina. Come, follow me. Your companions await you."  
  
Kirina followed Marin, but at a distance and with INRI held ready for a strike. She cast one look backwards at Ken, who sat slumped in his crystalline prison watching helplessly as the scene in front of him unfolded. When Marin stopped, Kirina saw that the other seven fighters had already congregated near the center. The goddess nodded to the assembled fighters. "Are you prepared, mortals?"  
  
"Just where are we, anyways?" Kirina demanded. "And what about our friends?!"  
  
"We ... are in her soul, Kirina," Sagat stated. "None of us were awake when this happened, but she drew us out of our bodies and brought us here."  
  
"Your friends are safe, but they must remain where they are," Marin added. "This is done to ensure their safety. I will release their power and you may draw from it for the battle." Marin made no movement, but each floating crystal glimmered and suddenly each warrior felt the various auras of the trapped fighters in the space around them. Samantha likened it to colors, whereas to Commando and Ryu they felt like auras; at any rate, each crystal projected a distinct energy towards the center. Experimentally, Ryu reached out and grasped a strand of what the trapped fighters had to offer him. He felt the clean, gentle energy of Chun-Li's tai chi, the strong, healthy vitality of Yang's kung fu, and the steady, sure aura of Rose's soul. But at the same time, he also became aware of Gen's poisonous Ansatsuken, Bison's malevolent Psycho Power, and Demitri's infernal Maximoff blood. The crystals glimmered as they shed light into the arena within Marin's soul.  
  
"Begin when you are prepared," Marin ordered.  
  
Ryu instinctively reached for the five nearest power threads, but he rejected what Bison had to offer and instead tapped into Rose's connection. As he did so, he felt her energy stream into him; through the angel Rynn he also drew directly on divine power and he combined these two with his own potent energy to form a fireball in his palms. Ryu focused hard and locked his gaze on Marin even as his friends closed around her. "Hadouken!"  
  
Marin stepped to the side, but the Hadouken - normally white, now tinged with violet and crimson - homed in on Marin and struck her in the side. She had no time to check herself, however, for already her opponents closed in from four sides. Hiryu arrived first, launching a strike at her face more quickly than any human ever could. Marin parried the blow, counterattacked with a crouching strike, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Hiryu reacted almost instantly. He dropped down to the crystalline ground and, channeling energy from the imprisoned fighters, threw a massive blade of energy off the Cypher sword.  
  
The stream struck Marin on her lower leg and reflected off back at Hiryu; while it caused him no real damage, he did lose his balance for a moment. Marin simultaneously blocked a strike from Commando and a high kick from Samantha; as she wheeled around to deliver her own kick, Commando rolled out of the way and Sagat launched a volley of Tiger Cannons through the area he had just cleared. Smiling, Marin lifted her left arm and deflected them off harmlessly, angling the last one to the side where it blasted Ruby Heart out of spellcasting stance. Marin then ducked a chest-level slash from Hiryu and her fist burst into fire as she crouched for a deadly reprisal. All silently she seemed to glide forward; Marin struck Hiryu in the stomach, hard, as she spun viciously and repeated the attack.  
  
"Ken's Shoryureppa," Ryu breathed. Only Marin executed the technique more beautifully than he had ever seen Ken do it, gracefully righting herself in midair as Hiryu's scorched body tumbled away. Samantha launched a Minerva Kick at the airborne Marin, but the goddess neatly parried it on the way down, landed, and rolled out of the way as Sagat dropped down with a powerful knee strike. Before the Emperor of Muay Thai could recover, Marin rushed him and broke out into a storm of close-range attacks that ended with a powerful Somersault-style kick. Ryu's eyes narrowed as he ran over to support Sagat. _And that was the Mayhem Rampage. How does she know all of our techniques?_  
  
She never stood still; Marin moved constantly with the fluidity and natural grace of a stream of water. She slipped under a powerful punch from Jin; Samantha managed to land a long-range kick on Marin, but the attack lacked any real power and the goddess easily absorbed it. A moment later, Marin caught Jin around the shoulders with one arm and floored him, driving a fist down into his stomach, hard. Kirina swung INRI at Marin from behind, but the goddess simply jumped up and easily vaulted over the attack to land directly behind her assailant. Kirina spun around and channeled a few nearby sources of energy, but Marin struck her with a side-handed blow to the stomach and it combusted within her. Kirina tumbled backwards to land at Ryu's feet; the motion forced Ryu to abort a powerful Hadouken and he pulled his daughter up.  
  
"She's too powerful," Kirina rasped. "We can't take her."  
  
"Maybe if we work together," Ryu suggested, though he too held on to little hope. Part of his mind simply could not believe that anyone, even a goddess, could be _that_ powerful. As Ryu circled to position himself behind Marin, she caught Jin with a move reminiscent of Bison's Scissor Leg throw and tossed him into the air before nailing him with a modified version of Guy's Skyward Barrage. Even more disconcerting, she was not even breathing hard when he landed. Jin's broken body slumped at her feet, all the fight knocked out of him in that brutal attack.  
  
Ryu cupped his palms together as he drew on the energy around him, feeling for whatever his friends offered. Beside him, Kirina did likewise and Captain Commando projected an enormous beam of energy above his head, ready to bring it smashing downwards. Marin knelt, completely ignoring the impending storm, and Samantha McGrath hastily ducked away. When Samantha cleared a space, Ryu and Kirina simultaneously unleashed their attacks - "Shinkuu Hadouken! Ready, set, destroy!" and Commando brought the Captain Sword downwards with punishing force. Marin laid a hand over Jin's heart and a golden glow began to seep out of his armor, illuminating his features sharply. Ryu sucked in his breath; he'd projected his attack to hit only Marin, but if the afterblast of it hit Jin ...  
  
Marin forestalled him, enveloping Jin with the same crystalline armor that bound Ryu's friends. Ryu and Kirina's souped-up Hadoukens both reflected harmlessly off its polished surface and the Captain Sword, when it came down, did not so much as scratch the crystal. Marin ignored the energies that peppered her, instead thrusting Jin's cage safely out of the range of the attack before shattering it entirely. Jin jumped up as the golden glow around him faded, as did Hiryu when a similar aura melted away. Still smiling in a gentle way, Marin beckoned for them to continue.  
  
Ryu focused, again channeling the energy necessary to fire off a Hadouken, only this time he prepared his Denjin version. The tactic had worked against Dadallent, and while Marin was certainly more powerful than the Chaos Prince - she had, after all, walked right through a triplet of the warriors' strongest attacks - Ryu still wanted to try something different. But he abruptly stopped in horror as he realized what energies Kirina had begun to channel. "No, Kirina! You mustn't use their energies!"  
  
But the warning came too late and Kirina fired off a storm of violet-tainted Hadou blasts at Marin, each one laced with Bison's unholy Psycho Power and Demitri's infernal vampiric aura. Shocked, Ryu could only stare in horror at his daughter's eyes. They were so wild, so feral ... he himself had once, just once, looked like that when ... Ryu glanced right to see Sagat swoop behind Kirina and lock her into a hold. Kirina thrashed wildly in the Muay Thai Emperor's iron grip; further ahead, Marin continued to evade attacks from the other five fighters.  
  
Breathing heavily, Kirina shook her head clear and whispered in a frightened voice, "Daddy ... what was that?"  
  
"Listen, Kirina," Ryu answered, staring hard into his daughter's eyes, "you must never, ever be so desperate for victory that you will do anything just to win. No matter what the cause, no matter what victory means. Even if the alternative is death. Promise me!"  
  
"I ... I don't know ..." she whispered. Her voice sounded small and confused.  
  
"Stop!" Marin cried. To emphasize her words, her body seemed to explode with energy and the five fighters who had clustered around her flew backwards like so many rag dolls scattered by a whirlwind. Samantha skidded to a halt on the smooth crystal near Sagat; she picked herself up, but anyone could have seen that she looked weary, fatigued, and terribly beaten. Slowly and with much dignity, Marin stepped over the crystal plane to where Ryu and Kirina watched her with wary eyes. "Your father understands, Kirina," Marin said softly. "Listen to him and heed his words! What benefit is victory should you lose your soul to gain it?"  
  
"Goddess ..." Kirina muttered.  
  
Marin opened her arms and indicated her exposed heart. "Show me all your power."  
  
"Hmph. Here goes." Captain Commando adjusted his combat gloves as they began to crackle with electricity; Ryu, Kirina, and Sagat focused on drawing power; Ruby Heart recited a spell; and the other three each allowed their own power to be drawn by the attackers. Kirina, Ryu, and Sagat arranged themselves into firing position for the Fatal Obliterator; when the attack came, it was a single, concentrated blast that could have punched right through a mountain without slowing. The sun-bright sphere of energy rushed off towards Marin, crackling with energy. And as before, the goddess simply lifted her arm and easily caught the sphere on her palm, calmly absorbing its energies into herself.  
  
Marin shook her head, regret clear in her voice. "Are you not capable of more?" No answer came; Ryu and his fellow warriors were simply too exhausted to answer, Samantha had dropped to her knees, and even Hiryu and Jin looked terribly fatigued. Kirina's breath came in shallow gasps. Marin half-closed her eyes and concentrated; a golden aura enveloped each warrior and bathed him or her in a warm, gentle light. To Samantha and Ruby Heart, it was like soaking in a hot bath after a hard day's campaigning; to Commando and Jin, the light felt soothing and fresh, almost like a caress. Vitality flooded into each warrior as wounds healed and even spiritual scars mended. Marin nodded her approval. "I wish to see all that you can accomplish. Therefore ... I shall release some of my power for your use. Brace yourselves," she warned.  
  
Having just seen exactly what Marin was capable of doing, Ryu was in no mood to ignore the warning. Still, when Marin began to glow, he was nearly overwhelmed by the sudden influx of power that seemed to emerge around him like a powerful, all-engulfing river. Ryu thought he would drown and his spirit thrashed wildly, but Rynn caught onto him and held him securely. When the initial shock of the change in circumstance had passed, Ryu took a deep breath and steadied himself. He could also feel the support and serenity that Rynn emanated, calming him somewhat. Nearby, the other warriors staggered similarly before regaining their bearings. Ryu reached out for a touch of Marin's power and was nearly overwhelmed again when he touched it. Compared to Marin's ability, even the combined essence of the warriors imprisoned in her soul might as well be a firefly trying to compete with the sun. _This ... this is nothing short of incredible. Limitless power ... power to flatten mountains, to boil oceans, to tear the Earth itself apart on one's whim ... Marin and Regina can wield it?_  
  
"Show me what you can accomplish with the power of a goddess," Marin invited. "Fear neither for me nor yourselves for no harm shall befall us."  
  
Kirina launched an experimental Hadouken off a hand; it was only a small fireball, but the instant it came out she and everyone else realized that the innocuous-looking flare held all the power of the Fatal Obliterator that they had just exhausted themselves using. _An ordinary fireball,_ Kirina mused. _And it's already far more powerful than anything I could generate on my own, even with dad and Uncle Sagat to support me. This is fun!_ Grinning like a cat that had just swallowed a mouse, Kirina pulled her arms back for a proper firing stance. "Ready ... set ... destroy!" She thrust her arms forward and a hailstorm of fireballs ripped out of her palms, each one containing the power of a small nuclear weapon. They exploded upon contact with Marin.  
  
Only that, when the smoke cleared, Marin hadn't moved an inch. Kirina grimaced and mouthed to Ryu, "Figures that she'd still be invincible. I wonder how much it takes to bring her down?" From the side, Sagat ripped out a volley of Tiger Cannons and Marin neatly dodged them, retaliating a moment later with a greatly enhanced Sonic Hurricane. The bitter energy blades sheared into Sagat and he collapsed, but what would normally have been fatal seemed to simply stun him. With that, the action exploded again.  
  
Ryu, Strider, and the others circled in slowly for close range attacks, all the while striking at Marin with the occasional fireball. Yet for all the power that the warriors could now place behind their attacks, still Marin casually batted them away or simply took the attack with nothing to show for it. Ryu, Jin, and Samantha finally arrived at a position where hand-to-hand combat became possible, but again Marin held all three of them at bay. They traded a hundred blows, then Marin sidestepped out of Ryu and Samantha's immediate range to send Jin flying with a powerful Cannon Spike. The blow caught Jin squarely in the jaw and his body traced a graceful arc through the air before it landed heavily upon the crystal.  
  
Marin returned her attention to the fight at hand, but as she did so Ruby Heart extended a hand and focused healing energy into Jin. The signature gold aura enveloped him and he rose to his feet, ready to resume the battle. Marin saw this as she ducked a high kick from Samantha and she smiled. Ryu and Sagat, both of them connected to Marin as a source of power, felt a faint trace of approval emanate from her and through the spiritual lines that connected them. Sagat jumped into the fight with a powerful Tiger Crush as Ryu, Samantha, and Strider each contributed an attack; somehow, Marin managed to counter all four attacks at once and her opponents could only admire her defense. The pace of the fight sped up, and still Marin kept all her opponents at bay with inhuman skill.  
  
Presently Marin knocked Ryu out of the fight, then Samantha, then Sagat, but each time another fighter would enter from the sides as the other warriors healed their injured comrade. And each time this happened, Marin would smile and nod in approval. Gradually Ryu and Sagat, then Kirina, dropped out; as Marin dropped to the ground and spun with a vicious hook kick that nearly caught Hiryu, the ninja Strider suddenly warped away and reappeared some fifty feet distant. In a split second, a phantom ship emerged out of thin air and rammed into Marin from behind, its ghostly prow mounted with a wickedly sharpened blade. Marin grimaced as she reached down and snapped the blade that had impaled her cleanly through her stomach; but even as she disengaged herself, another cry of "Obliterate!" sounded in the starry sky and the massive blast that marked the Fatal Obliterator streaked at Marin.  
  
She crossed both arms in front of her face and caught the blast, but a few seconds passed before the attack subsided. Marin shook her head clear before she looked at the World Warriors again. She fired back a fireball angled downwards and the World Warriors scattered, but not quite swiftly enough to avoid the massive explosive radius of the ensuing blast. Still, they were no more than fazed by the attack and Marin's smile grew slightly as they ran back to challenge her again. When Marin ducked to avoid a powerful slash from Hiryu's Falchion, Ryu seized his chance and also crouched, but with his fist pulled back. "Shin -!"  
  
Ryu's arm shot upwards with the speed of a bullet, crashing heavily into Marin's stomach even as his other arm also rose. This attack landed squarely in her jaw and Ryu felt the bones underneath her skin tremble; had it been a human opponent, the Shin Shoryuken surely would have shattered the bones altogether. As it was, Ryu twisted around to add extra power to his third and final attack. This he also aimed at Marin's jaw and he unleashed it with as much raw power as he could hold. "Shoryuken -!"  
  
"Spiritus Furtum Celesti ..." Marin whispered. Somehow she managed to recover halfway through the attack, right as Ryu's fist blazed upwards for the final strike. She caught his wrist and turned the attack to the side where it deflected away harmlessly as a pair of brilliant blue wings - like the finest sapphires - materialized out of her back. Before Ryu could understand what had happened, Marin stepped in closer and pressed herself against him. Right before the incredulous eyes of the other warriors, she seemed to _melt_ into his body, her own dissolving into Ryu's like a liquid. Commando reached out and tried to seize Marin; as his fingers brushed against her skin, just before she vanished entirely, a powerful force seemed to erupt from underneath and repel him. The transformation completed and Marin disappeared entirely.  
  
"What's going on here?" Commando demanded.  
  
"I have taken his body for my own," Ryu replied, but his aura had changed significantly and nearly everyone instantly realized that it was Marin who spoke through Ryu's voice. "Will you do battle with me now? Defend yourselves!" Marin dashed forward; Sagat blocked the first strike but the second one landed on his stomach and knocked him backwards, skidding out of control on the silk-smooth pane of crystal that stretched as far as the eye could see. Marin spun around and launched herself into a powerful Whirlwind Kick that Samantha ducked underneath. Had it been Ryu who used the attack, Samantha might have escaped, but Marin somehow checked her momentum midway through the attack and instead came down with a much more powerful rendition of Darrell's Shakunetsu Ittou. The flaming sword seared right through Samantha and the _Phantom_ captain screamed horribly.  
  
"This is bad," Commando muttered. Marin turned to face him and vaulted up in a graceful jump, but Commando stuffed a potential overhead attack by ramming his fist into the ground. A massive pillar of electricity blasted upwards and Marin ramped off it before landing lightly on the ground, rolling to the side as Ruby Heart tossed an anchor at her.  
  
"No, you mustn't," Kirina cried. Then, screaming at Marin, "Why?!"  
  
Tight-lipped, Commando replied tersely with "I don't want to do this, Kirina, but if it can't be helped ... damn you, Marin! Don't force me to destroy Ryu to get to you! Take me instead! _Take me!_"  
  
"Captain!" Samantha exclaimed.  
  
"I'm gonna punch you to hell on kidnapping charges!" Jin roared at Marin.  
  
Silently Marin stepped up to Commando, looking him over up and down as though she were truly seeing him for the first time. As the others waited in hushed anticipation, Commando stiffened but held still. Marin finally stepped forward one step and said, "Then you would sacrifice yourself for the sake of redeeming a friend ... a noble gesture, captain. Very well, I accept your offer." She held out a hand, palm up, and Commando took it without hesitation. Once more the beautiful blue wings appeared and Marin materialized again, stepping out of Ryu's body as she merged with Commando. Ryu staggered and landed heavily on the ground, gasping for breath. Commando also staggered; as the transformation neared completion, he suddenly fixed his gaze on the other warriors and in a strained but clear voice ordered, "Kill me! Now!"  
  
"Son of a -" Sagat swore. "I can't do that!"  
  
Commando reached up to tear out his own throat, but as his arm moved Marin completed the migration and the motion became stiff and jerky before it died off altogether. Marin turned to face the other warriors. "His will is strong," she said softly. "What will you do to free him? Will you destroy him to strike at me?"  
  
"Why are you making us do this?" Ruby Heart asked warily.  
  
"I wish to see your resolve," Marin answered. Apparently she decided against speaking any further; instead, she raised her fist and struck the ground, hard. A massive shockwave exploded out of her gloves and blasted outwards in every direction, blowing through each of the warriors with devastating force. Hiryu collapsed as the hot energies seemed to tear through his body, perhaps even his spirit, like a desert wind scything through summer grass. None of the others fared any better. Each warrior attempted a hasty self-healing, but it was a decidedly sorry and ragged-looking band that warily reassembled itself in a circle around Marin.  
  
"Looks like we have no choice," Sagat rasped. "Kill or be killed."  
  
"There has to be another way," Ruby insisted.  
  
"I can't see it," Ryu answered wearily. "Sagat, Kirina ... let's do the Obliterator one last time." Slowly Ryu set himself into the firing stance, placing his arms to the sides of his daughter's. Sagat stepped in and completed the arrangement. A moment later, Ruby Heart, Hiryu, and Jin also gathered around and placed their hands on the shoulders of the World Warriors. Each one lent his or her strength to the attack and once more the brilliant sphere that marked the Fatal Obliterator began to form. In it the warriors drew freely from Marin's own power and it pulsed brightly, a deadly attack that could easily wipe a continent off the Earth map. "Samantha?"  
  
"I will have nothing to do this," Samantha answered firmly. "I will not be party to an attack upon the captain."  
  
"Upon Commando? We're striking at Marin here, even if we have to get past Commando to do it," Ryu replied. "Samantha, if we don't do this, Marin will destroy all of us. She has the power to do it and she's already captured our friends. You have to help!"  
  
"It would be sin to kill an innocent that we might strike at the goddess," Samantha replied.  
  
"Then I suppose we'll have to do this without you. Don't get me wrong, I hope that we won't kill Commando. But, if we must, then ..." Ryu shook his head and gritted his teeth. "Why did it have to come to this? Brace ... let's do it." The sphere brightened to the intensity of a localized star. "Obliterate!"  
  
The brilliant sphere of the Fatal Obliterator blazed off from its launch point - and Marin seemed to step out of Commando, her body forming rapidly as she struggled to free herself. She pulled loose and Commando sank wearily to his knees, far too drained to fight effectively. Marin pulled her hands up in front of herself right as the Obliterator struck, struggling with it for a moment before she overcame its power and knocked it away. When Ryu began to charge himself up for another attack, Marin cried "Stop!" and instantly the power that she had unsealed vanished. Ryu's energies died down as the all-pervading power seemed to evaporate.  
  
"Wha ...?" Ryu asked, puzzled.  
  
"I have seen enough," Marin replied. She knelt down and offered Commando her hand; when he took it, the healing glow enveloped him and Marin pulled him to his feet. Then she stepped towards the center of the crystal arena where the other warriors had gathered for their last attack. As she did so, her fighting spirit faded somewhat and the healing aura surrounded each fighter. Marin continued, "Some would sacrifice their friends to rid the world of a danger such as I; others would not. This test has concluded and I have once more sealed my powers away. Ryu, did you truly believe that I would actually have you destroy Commando?" Her eyes seemed to bore into his soul, but they were not without a touch of pity and compassion. She folded her arms together.  
  
"Forgive me, captain," Ryu said slowly. "I was prepared ... in case Marin wanted to take it all the way ... I was prepared to sacrifice you."  
  
"Nothing could make me happier," Commando answered gravely.  
  
"It is not my intention to destroy anyone present. I hosted this tournament because I wish for your assistance in a task I have taken upon myself." When expressions and murmurings of surprise came from all directions, Marin explained, "This tournament was a test to gauge your will. I provided you with power, but you alone must have the will to use it. Such is a gift that the Almighty alone may grant. Here is what I propose: I wish to change this world. Mortal lives are transient, bitter, filled with strife. I can change this; I can bring Heaven to Earth. Together we can end suffering! Is this not a noble cause? Will you ... will you assist me in building a paradise upon this earth?" As Marin spoke, every soul present felt the fiery passion in her words and understood that this was truly a vision in which she believed with all her heart. She might have said more, but suddenly they all felt a powerful aura converge on the crystal arena. Samantha tensed, as did her companions. A shape gradually formed out of the air and the warriors sank into fighting stances; when it had fully materialized, however, they all relaxed.  
  
"Welcome, dear sister," Marin called.  
  
"Marin!" Regina fairly flew across the crystalline ground and embraced her sister tightly. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you again! I just woke up and I came as fast as I could to the dome, but ... Marin, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I hosted this tournament to discover helpers," Marin replied. "I wish to establish Heaven upon Earth. To end suffering, to create a paradise here, and to this end I have brought these eight here, as a final test of their will. They show most admirable qualities, do they not?"  
  
"So that's why ... it makes sense now," Regina mused. "But why did you have to kidnap everyone without a word?"  
  
"I wished to see how they would fight for their friends," Marin explained. "They also formed part of my test - you know well, Regina, that the source of power from which a person draws energy speaks much about him. I am well pleased with what I have seen today. Regina, do you not agree with me that this world is prepared for a transition to paradise? What say you, mortals?"  
  
At first, no one said a word. Perhaps they were all too surprised to respond; certainly it took a few seconds to process the thought of what exactly Marin had just offered to them. Ryu finally answered after a long and expectant silence. "End suffering ... world peace ... paradise, utopia ... I have to admit, it's very tempting. At the same time, I say no. If you want help, Marin, ask elsewhere; I for one have no intention of doing this."  
  
"Why not?" Marin asked, and she seemed to be genuinely taken aback.  
  
"Look." Ryu stepped forward and held out his arm; Marin bent over slightly to look down on it. "See these scars? This one," he pointed to a long gash on his upper arm, "happened during training, when Master Gouken hit me with a Shoryuken. This one," and he indicated a smaller scar on the inside of his arm, "I earned in my first tournament, when Sagat kicked me. And this," Ryu pulled open his uniform slightly, "occurred many years ago. The mark has faded somewhat, but I still remember very clearly. It happened when Bison defeated me and imbued me with his Psycho Power." Ryu adjusted his headband as he pulled his uniform back together again and Marin looked up at his eyes. "My point is this: without suffering, we could not grow as humans. Surely a goddess who has spent so much time with humans understands?"  
  
"He's right, you know," Ruby chipped in. "If we had everything provided for us, don't you realize that humans would simply become indulgent, self-serving, and lazy? We'd take paradise for granted. It's not something that we had to earn. Don't you agree?"  
  
"You may be correct," Marin answered. "Yet look beyond yourselves. Does it not trouble you when you suffer? Does it not trouble you when you see others in tears?"  
  
Samantha reached out and placed an arm on Marin's shoulder. "You are blessed with a compassionate heart, goddess. Yet it would doubtlessly be for the best to leave us as we are."  
  
"Will no one here assist me?" Marin asked gently. She sighed when all present shook their heads and her lips curled into a wry smile. "So be it, I shall not transgress upon your freedom to choose. My task shall no doubt be made more difficult without your assistance, yet I shall carry this burden - alone, if needs be. Those whom I have taken shall be freed." Marin made no movement, but all around them the crystal cages shattered with the sound of breaking glass as the crystal shards melted away into nothingness. The other contestants, freed at last, quickly converged in the center. "Go in peace with my blessing. Regina, will you assist me?"  
  
The younger goddess slowly shook her head. "I can't do that, dear sister. You have a kind heart, but you can only show them the path, you can't actually walk it for them. Isn't that what you would say to me? Doing this would be a disservice to them. Marin, if you really want to go ahead with your plans, I can't stop you. But ... I will certainly try my best."  
  
"Then you would oppose me for the sake of your friends?" Marin asked softly.  
  
"Aren't _you_ the one who taught me to cherish life? Don't you realize that what you want to do would strip life of all meaning? May the Almighty forgive me, but I can't let you do this! You remember the time we disguised ourselves as servingwomen in Dacia? Remember when we piloted fighter ships together in the Virago and Tivoli star systems? Remember when we taught magic at Saint Alba's praxeum? Remember the great wars that we fought in, across entire galaxies? Remember your mortal son on Dacia? Would you deny these humans the chance to experience a life no less colorful?"  
  
"Do you believe that I have aught else save their best interests in mind?" Marin countered.  
  
"No, I don't," Regina answered. "But what is best for them and what we believe is best are totally different. Can't I talk you out of this?"  
  
"We have spoken of this matter upon countless occasions," Marin noted. "Perhaps you will understand, dear sister, when I have completed my task."  
  
"I don't intend to let that happen," Regina replied. "Please, reconsider! Marin, if you try, then upon my honor as a goddess I swear that I will stand in your way until you give up this madness! So don't make me do it! Please!"  
  
"I shall never abandon my ideals, sister," Marin said quietly. "Seal me away."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Seal my soul away," Marin repeated. "I cannot bear the thought that you and I must need struggle. As I did to Eldrin so long ago, seal my soul away, sister."  
  
"Don't make me do this, Marin!" Regina cried.  
  
"You always did possess a soft heart," Marin replied fondly as she brushed tears off Regina's glistening face. Marin embraced Regina again. "It is your best quality, sister - you care deeply for humans and allow your love to dictate your actions. In many ways, I am envious of your passion. Hold this in your care, Regina." Marin unwound a small pendant from her neck and pressed it into Regina's hands. "Now," Marin continued as her voice hardened somewhat, "seal my soul, Regina, ere I repent of this rash course of thought." She pulled herself away from her sister and waited.  
  
Still sniffling, Regina nodded slowly and extended both hands towards Marin. A soft green glow formed off of them as a crystalline structure, much like the ones that had held the tournament contestants, began to gather around Marin's feet. Only this one looked far more complicated and shone brightly with many colors reflecting off its surfaces. It slowly climbed up Marin's body as Regina concentrated on her task. Right as it crept up to the older goddess' face, Marin looked at Regina one last time and a silent glance of understanding passed between them. Then Marin smiled again and closed her eyes, quite content, as Regina finished locking away her sister in the crystal. Regina wiped away the tears that streamed down her face as she bound Marin's pendant around her own neck.  
  
"Shall we be off?" Commando asked.  
  
"The dead go to the afterlife, the living stay in this world," Regina answered. She glanced backwards at the crystal pillar where Marin slept. "Now's the time to say goodbye - temporarily, at least. I'm sure we'll all meet again in another place, at another time. Let's celebrate when we do." 


	31. Epilogue: Life Goes On

**Epilogue: Life Goes On**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Sorry that the final chapter sounds like such a rush job. The website has been updated yet again, this time with the tier list used for this fiction. (Waits for a storm of e-mails complaining that "my character should be above Akuma in the tiers!") On a more positive note, the Bloopers chapter has also been uploaded. Enjoy yourselves, you rascals and your sky-high expectations.

* * *

_Osaka, Japan  
Four hours have passed _  
  
"What a mess," Captain Commando grumbled to himself as he idly picked through Ernest McGrath's notes in the lobby of the hotel. Part of his mind wondered how he could ever possibly explain this incident to his superiors in the Federation. Practically the entire world had witnessed the first part of the battle against Marin, and that posed another dilemma: how do you explain to the world at large that you had to fight a goddess? No doubt Samantha McGrath also faced the same problem; while the IDC held a reputation for being quite open-minded, Commando still did not envy Samantha the task of composing a formal report.  
  
A shadow fell over Commando. "What's wrong, captain?" Ryu asked.  
  
"Just wondering how to explain this tournament. I suppose I could start by being totally honest." Commando indicated McGrath's papers with a nod. "These will help, hopefully, if I add them to the report. I've already checked the bulletins at the Federation network, and I'm being reassigned to another mission in a distant star system. The life of the Galactic Police is always hectic." Commando sighed heavily. "I'm heading off to pack up. Ryu, if you see Ruby or Hiryu, please tell them that it was fun and that I enjoyed having them on the Neo Commando Squad."  
  
"Will do," Ryu answered as Commando strode away. "Oh, and Commando! Did you ever learn anything about McGrath's supposed last letter?" Even after the battle with Marin, McGrath's spirit had not emerged and he was the sole tournament contestant who remained missing. Regina had searched all through Marin's soul but in vain, for the doctor was simply gone. His wife had been crushed by the news and the _Phantoms_ stunned; Regina herself wept for the lost warrior. With the others - Rose, Bison, Guy, Charlie, and others whom Marin resurrected - there had at least been a chance to say one last goodbye before Regina brought them out of the world that Marin constructed.  
  
"Ask him," Commando answered before he vanished from the room. Ryu spun around and nearly ran into Dadallent, but the other man launched an arm with lightning speed and caught him. Dadallent steadied Ryu for a moment. Then he pointed to Samantha and Ryu, indicating that they should follow him. All three wordlessly left the hotel lobby and halted in one of the empty rooms.  
  
"His letter. I have it." Dadallent turned his unseeing gaze on Ryu and Samantha McGrath. "Ernest left his message with me before ... before he went to fight. It was to be delivered at the proper time. This is not that time ... but you will not listen to me, of course. Still, if I give this to you before its time, what will you do for me?" When Samantha hesitated, Dadallent leaned forward and whispered a few sentences into her ear. When he had finished, Samantha remained silent for a considerable length of time before she asked Ryu to leave them. The world warrior stood up and walked out without a word.  
  
"You ask much of me," Samantha stated. "Yet I accept your proposal."  
  
"It is a trivial matter compared to what you have asked for." So saying, the shrouded warrior reached into his uniform and produced a crisp envelope, which he wordlessly handed to Samantha. Although he had not been present for their battle against Marin, Dadallent had greeted them when Regina returned them to the tangible world. Earlier Commando had asked him about it, but Dadallent simply met the query with a threatening silence and the captain had dared not press the matter any further.  
  
Samantha neatly opened the seal. Then she unfolded the single piece of notebook paper left inside and slowly began to read, Dadallent politely turning away and pretending to study some object which he really had no interest in. The script was in McGrath's neat, precise hand, written carefully on blue ink. It ran on both sides of the sheet. Tears began to appear anew in Samantha's eyes as she read the letter very slowly. Was it her imagination, or could she actually hear her husband's voice through the graceful lines on the paper?  
  
_My dearest Samantha, if you are reading this letter, then I am no longer amongst the living. These words do not come easily to me; never in my whole life have I written anything more difficult. I am sorry to have left you without a word and I wonder when I will see you again? I give my life freely, but my regret is that those who would have been our children have given their immortal souls.  
  
I wonder when you will read this? Perhaps you will be an aged lady, looking back upon a lifetime of accomplishments. Perhaps the tournament has just finished, and you have overcome the greatest enemy our world has ever faced. Perhaps you have already married again, and are reading this letter with your husband and children. Perhaps you have also followed where I have gone. Come what may, know that I love you and will never love you any less than I do now. I wish I could see you.  
  
There is something you should know, Samantha. The investigation has brought me close to the source of the mystery. As a soldier, I should simply follow orders and continue as I was. But I am a man and would not be one if I left my friends to perish simply for the sake of obeying orders. So I leave my last thoughts to you. I will fight for friendship demands no less of me. I will free my friends, or else die trying.  
  
Samantha - and Blake and Lloyd, too - I see a hope for the future in you. You are strong and fearless, capable of the exacting leadership that will be demanded of you in the years to come. And you are not alone. Perhaps your guardian is reading this letter with you? If so, hello Kain! For my sake, please watch Samantha carefully for me. She will need your aid in the years to come when her latent power has fully awakened.  
  
We haven't known each other for a long time, but I love you nonetheless, Samantha. Now that I must leave you, the pain is more than I can bear and I am afraid, so very much afraid of this separation. It's difficult to find words that can describe how I feel. I pray that I will have the strength to endure to the end. I can no longer walk with you, but God is with you still. Have faith in Him and He will be your shield. I'm leaving this letter with a good friend of mine; he will give it to you when the time is right.  
  
Until we meet again, au revoir._  
  
Samantha wiped away the tears streaming down her cheeks. "Ernest ... why did you leave and never say how you truly felt? Why did you go? ... Where is the justice in this world?!" she shrieked, and she collapsed to the floor. After an awkward minute or so during which Dadallent stared down pitilessly at her, she abruptly pulled herself together and said, "I apologize, Dadallent. For me, the grief is still fresh. And Ernest has given me more questions than answers. Why did you go, Ernest ...? Knowing this would happen ... could I do the same? Yet an agreement must be honored." Still sniffling, Samantha stood up and laid a hand on Dadallent's heart.  
  
After that day, the Chaos Prince was never again seen, while legends began to spring up of an IDC soldier, a woman, with godlike fighting abilities.

* * *

Alex found Haggar and Zangief arm-wrestling outside the hotel lobby. "I should've figured you two would be at it again. Mr. Haggar, Mr. Zangief, now that this tournament has finished, what are you two planning to do?"  
  
Haggar apparently decided to concede the match to his Russian counterpart. "A vacation sounds like a good idea to me, Alex. I'm heading back to Metro City - don't tell Cody that I said this, but I'm getting too old for this sort of competition. You, 'Gief?"  
  
"I continue to wrestle for the glory of Mother Russia!" Zangief proclaimed loudly. "It would be honor to have American comrade join me in Siberia!" Zangief clapped a hand on Alex's back and neatly crippled his American "comrade." The blow staggered him, but Alex accepted it as a friendly tap and nodded gravely.

* * *

"Leaving so soon, Ryu?" Ken Masters asked.  
  
"The fight never ends, Ken," Ryu replied. "My daughter and I are returning to Red Sparrow castle for the time being. I'm glad that you participated in this tournament, even if we never got to fight. And ... my thanks to you, Sagat. It was fun."  
  
"Agreed," Sagat answered graciously.  
  
"We have to do this more often," Kirina added.  
  
"Shouldn't you give that back to Regina?" Ryu asked, nodding at INRI, which was still strapped across Kirina's back.  
  
"She said that I could keep it as long as I needed it," Kirina responded. "Regina's been horribly busy, so I haven't had the chance to say goodbye to her."  
  
"Long farewells were never necessary. Ryu, I'll be in Thailand if you ever decide to come for the rematch," Sagat called as Ryu and Kirina both hailed a taxicab.  
  
"And I'll be in Beverly Hills with Sean. World Collision: The Movie is going to be a blockbuster seller, you can count on that!" Ken waved merrily as Ryu and Kirina bundled into the cab. "And don't worry about Kenneth, either! I'm still looking after the little rascal. Take care, Ryu and 'Rina!"  
  
"Farewell!" Ryu called as the cab sped off.

* * *

"What's troubling you, Maki?" Mitsukake asked, plopping down next to the blonde-haired girl.  
  
Maki sighed. "Now that Guy's gone for good ... I'm the new grandmaster of the Bushin style. And yet there's still so much left for me to learn. I'm wondering if I'm really ready for the responsibility; it sure feels like an awfully heavy burden. And now that Cody's being deported to stand trial in the United States ... yeah, life does throw you a bunch of curveballs, doesn't it?" Maki glanced at Mitsu. "What about you? I mean, what are you planning to do now that the tournament's over?"  
  
"Me?" Mitsukake pursed his lips. "I think I'm heading back to my art studio. Combat isn't something for me. At the same time, I've learned a lot from the tournament. I don't think I've ever realized just how big the world is." He fell silent, but his eyes focused on Blake Wallis, Yun Lee, and Scott Wagner in the distance as they sneaked behind Jin Saotome with a pail of ice. The three youths upended the pail over Jin's head and fled; after his initial surprise wore off, Jin pounded after them like a tank through the outdoor gym. The three rascals split up and Jin tore off in Scott's direction, whereupon Blake collapsed to the ground laughing until his sides ached. Maki and Mitsu both chuckled. "They have the right idea, you know," Mitsukake remarked. "Sometimes you just have to sit back, relax, and enjoy life no matter what's going on."

* * *

"I've learned a lot from this experience, what about you?" Kikoken asked Edgar as together they packed bags into the back of a taxicab.  
  
"I think I've learned a bit, too." Edgar stared upwards at the sky without really seeing it. "How do I express it in words ...? I've started to think: maybe justice isn't the only right in this world. I believe in law, sure, but there's such a thing as taking it too far. Having fighting skill is important, but even more important is having a proper cause. Something good to believe in, I mean. Pity I didn't realize it until now." His eyes narrowed as he spied Vega entering a limousine further ahead. "Though I wouldn't mind bringing a few lowlifes such as Mr. Vega over there to justice. You, Kiko?"  
  
Kikoken shrugged. "Regina said that she was recalling my power and Chan's. Not that I really mind considering how little I use it. You know, I think I'll train with you for a while. Ninjutsu sounds like it would be a lot of fun."  
  
"You and your ideas of fun," Edgar sighed.

* * *

"You haven't changed a bit, Guile," Chun-Li giggled.  
  
"You've changed quite a lot, Chun!" Guile responded. "How are your teammates holding up?"  
  
"They're fine," Chun-Li answered. "Mason's already over the Pacific by now. He's going to have a lot of explaining to do to his superiors in the FBI. Jill ... well, Jill is Jill. Still determined to bring Umbrella Corporation down, and I heard that she's going to affiliate herself with the IDC. Sorry about Charlie," she added softly.  
  
"Eh, don't be. 'Course, I wish he could've stayed, but I got over his death a long time ago. And it's kinda satisfying to know that Bison isn't with us either." Bison had begged Regina not to send him back and the goddess herself had been torn, but in the end she had been forced to return him to the terror of hell. Though Chun-Li herself had never been too religious, seeing Bison screaming for his life and the tears streaming down Regina's face had been almost enough to convert her on the spot. That wasn't to say that the former Lord of Shadowlaw didn't deserve it - everyone knew he did - yet at the same time she couldn't help feeling just a trace of remorse for him. "How's Scott?"  
  
In response, Guile pointed in a direction behind Chun-Li and she turned to look. Scott Wagner nearly collided into her just then, veering off only at the last moment. The airman ducked behind Guile. "Help! Jin's trying to kill me!"  
  
"Oh, you're gonna get it now, little boy!" Jin roared as he stalked towards Wagner.

* * *

"I didn't even get to say goodbye to my daughter," Juli mused to herself. "But as long as she's fine, then I'm happy. Cammy, Juni, it's high time we left too."  
  
"Yeah, my boss didn't exactly approve of all the time I took off for this tournament," Juni stated.  
  
"You have it easy," Cammy retorted. "I have to file a report for Delta Red. At least I won't be alone - Sir Lloyd is transferring over to Delta Red as a firearms instructor. He said that this was his last mission before he retired from the strike force. Come on, we have a flight to catch."  
  
"Hey, before we do that," Juli interrupted, "does anyone want to put a hit on Vega?"  
  
Juni frowned. Cammy pondered the thought for a moment before she shook her head. "You know, it's a tempting idea, Juli. Can't have our skills deteriorate, after all. But I still owe him for that time he pulled me out of Sir Bison's Thailand base. If you want to do it, go ahead. I need to get back to England."  
  
"Oy, what's all this talk about?" Balrog interrupted. "Hey, ladies."  
  
"Mr. Balrog," Cammy greeted icily. "Sorry to take leave of you so quickly, but we really must be going if we are to catch our flight."  
  
They bundled into the taxicab and left Balrog scratching his head in confusion. "Dang it, why do I never get the pretty girls? Or paid, for that matter? Bison still owes me lots of back money."

* * *

"It's high time we left, too. Don't want to be around when the reporters start talking," Yang Lee noted. "Brother, where are you?"  
  
"Coming, coming!" Yun cried. "Hurry, run for your lives before Jin gets here! He's on a rampage, a rampage I say!"  
  
Karin Kanzuki crossed her arms testily. "Okay, Yun, spill it. What'd you do this time?"  
  
"It was Blake's idea," Yun offered lamely.  
  
"And you actually listened to him?" Yin demanded. "Sometimes I'm ashamed to admit that I'm related to you at all. Anyways, Karin lent us a family jet to get back to China. Though I vote that we let you swim across the sea instead." Karin and Ibuki nodded in agreement. "Village business still needs to be taken care of. Goodness alone knows how much we'll have to deal with after more than a month's absence."  
  
"Leaving so soon?" Regina asked, walking up to the Triple Dragons. Gill hung slightly behind her like a protective shadow.  
  
"I'd love to stay and chat," Yun answered, putting an arm around Regina's shoulder. Gill glowered at him with an expression that could have melted stone. From the look of it, he wanted to fry Yun to a crisp where the impertinent young man stood. "But business calls and - ouch! Yang, stop kicking me!"  
  
"I see. I'll be sure to visit you sometime in China!" Regina, Karin, and Ibuki waved cheerfully as the dragons piled into a special Kanzuki limousine. "Hello, Sakura. Hello, Darrell."  
  
"There you are!" Darrell exclaimed. "Regina, we've been looking everywhere for you."  
  
"Is something wrong?" Regina asked, noting the expression on his face.  
  
"My baby?" Sakura whispered.  
  
Regina shook her head and closed her eyes. "When my sister took you, she also separated your child's soul from yours. Your child is in Heaven, Sakura."  
  
Stunned, Sakura's eyes widened with shock and disbelief as she threw herself into Darrell's arms. Not for the first time, he didn't know what to say to her. After an uneasy moment during which only Sakura's loud sobs could be heard, Karin stepped forward and laid a comforting hand on Sakura's shoulder. Regina bowed her head and said, "I will pray for you, Sakura."

* * *

"The terms of the contract clearly stated that the winners would receive the title of 'World's Strongest,' a monetary prize of 300 million U.S. dollars, and divine power!" Ruby Heart shouted at Kyosuke Kagami. "What I want to know is why this pledge hasn't been fulfilled."  
  
"How should I know?" Kyosuke retorted. "Don't shoot the reporter - I didn't organize this, after all, and Jedah has already gone back to Makai. And even if I could somehow handle the first two, what about the third part of the contract? Only Regina has the power to do that and she's already stated that she wouldn't! I'd love to help you, but I can't! I have entrance exams in a few days that I should've been cramming for, but instead I took the time out to do this stupid sideshow."  
  
"Help me out here, Strider," Ruby called.  
  
Hiryu said nothing, only vaulting over a rail fence to land softly outside the hotel grounds. He pressed his fingers to his lips, pulled down his scarf somewhat, and emitted a piercing whistle. On cue, his hang glider appeared and settled down next to him. Hiryu unbuckled his weapons and stowed them in the glider's storage bays. He would have left right then, only that the arrival of Chan Yoruyamatiha, racing breathlessly over the hotel grounds, preempted him. "Hiryu, wait!"  
  
She skidded to a halt, breathing heavily. "You're just ... going to leave ... without even ... saying goodbye?! Take me with you!"  
  
Hiryu put his arms around his girlfriend. "I can't, Chan. I'm returning to the Strider lair to continue training. Let's say farewell here and go our separate ways."  
  
"What? Hiryu, I thought you loved me!" she shouted.  
  
"And I do. This isn't an easy decision." Hiryu hugged Chan close and whispered, "Chan, I dedicate my life to the way of the sword. I no longer have any family or friends. I pray that you will one day understand. I want to be with you, but I cannot while a threat still remains."  
  
"Still remains?" Chan asked, confused. "What do you mean? Regina sealed Marin away, didn't she?"  
  
A distant look shone in Hiryu's eyes as he held onto Chan, gazing into the far horizon where the first stars had begun to shine. "Anything sealed is destined to one day return. When she does, we must be ready for her. It is not enough to seal evil away - the next time, we must destroy it." He looked back down into Chan's eyes where tears glimmered. "Farewell forever, Chan. I hope that you fall in love and forget all about me."

* * *

"I guess this is where we part," Donovan Baine noted. "I'm returning to Tibet to meditate. Until we meet again - I never thought I'd say this, but - stay safe, Lord Maximoff, Lady Aensland."  
  
"And you, Donovan," Demitri answered gravely. The vampire and the Darkhunter shook hands, then Donovan walked off without another word. Demitri and Morrigan watched him go. "He was a worthy ally. Perhaps the human world is not as frail as I once believed."  
  
"I've been trying to tell you that for such a dreadfully long time," Morrigan noted. On impulse, she hugged Demitri. "For the head of one of Makai's seven noble houses, sometimes you can be dreadfully dense."  
  
Ever practical-minded, Demitri took Morrigan's hand and led her down a moonlit stretch of a path. "No doubt Lord Voshtal shall be most disappointed to learn that both Lord Dohma and myself are alive. I admit, the human world has been entertaining, but we belong in Makai. My queen, shall we return home?"  
  
"Home," Morrigan mused. "You have to admit, it's a beautiful word."


	32. The Story Behind the Scenes

**The Story Behind the Scenes**

* * *

**Author's Notes:** These are the passages that, for some reason, didn't quite make it into the story. For the first time, the tale of how Colliding Worlds was made is finally revealed ...

* * *

_ Prologue, Sparring in the Gym  
Take One _  
  
Sakura modified the Shinkuu Hadouken and launched her hands forward, releasing a burst of light. Instantly the whole room went white and Sakura heard Mitsukake rush in for the kill. _Okay, the American is ... there. Now all I have to do is pummel him from that side - huh, where is he? What the -!_ As the light cleared, Sakura caught sight of her opponent and instantly realized her mistake. He'd moved, and moved quickly. Mitsukake was already down on the mats; in a blur of motion, the American swept Sakura's feet, crouched, and delivered a symbolic kill blow into her stomach. _Drat! I can't believe we lost so fast!_ "Man, why don't I ever get the good teammates?" Sakura pouted.  
  
"What, me, bad?!" Mitsukake cried, paling with anger. "Did you just say that I was bad?!"  
  
"Erm, well, actually ..." Sakura stalled, and then she ran as Mitsukake jumped and tried to break her nose on his fist. "Aah! Help me, he's trying to kill me!"

* * *

_ Prologue, Invitation to McGrath  
Take Two _  
  
McGrath passed the card around; Sakura and Mitsukake already knew what it contained, for they too had received their letters in the mail.

_Dear Dr. Ernest McGrath:  
  
What's up, doc? Just wanted to say hi, it's been a long time. I heard  
you got married, so I offer you my congratulations as well as my regrets  
that your wife is probably too old to start the Doll program now. Things  
are hectic on my end, since we're still trying to rebuild the organization  
from scratch. I'd love to chat more, but my duties call me. If you need  
anything or just want to talk, you have all of my old contact information.  
  
Sincerely,  
M. Bison _

  
"Alright," McGrath demanded as he tore the card into pieces, "which one of you monkeys has been messing around with the invitation cards again?!"

* * *

_ Chapter Two, Jin's Dressup  
Take Two _  
  
Glancing around nervously, the man tried to hold still as a number of technicians finished wiring his suit with miniature microphones. A makeup artist added a touch of blush to his face. Someone threw the man's white scarf around his neck, fastened it securely, and patted his whitewashed armored suit. Another man adjusted the headband around his forehead. The man sweated as each technician bustled around him. He'd faced mad dictators and deadly assassins before, but this was too much! Silently he vowed that, if he survived this insane agreement of his, he'd - he'd - he couldn't think of anything appropriate. Someone locked his bootstraps into place. In a word, it was Jin Saotome.  
  
Jin fidgeted, asked a question, and was surprised to hear his voice reverberate out the microphones. "Turn it down, will you? I can barely hear myself think - dear me, does my voice really sound like that?!" He glanced at the clock. "Three minutes until showtime. Okay, Jin, just relax ... will you hurry up?" When several more people converged on him, Jin exploded. _"That's it, you asked for it! Go, Blodia!!!!!"_  
  
Several floors down, Ryu heard the sound of automated gunfire and sighed deeply, turning to look at Ken. "Well, looks like Jin just lost it again. Good thing we hired a lot of technicians before doing any sort of prewriting. He really ought to learn to control that temper of his, though."

* * *

_ Chapter Two, Interview with Ryu  
Take One _  
  
At that moment, Kyosuke was cut off by a sharp cry of "Ryu!" from behind. The camera panned over, revealing Chun-Li, Sakura, Chan, and a number of other women clustered in the cramped hall. "Oh, Ryu! Over here! C'mon!" As they raced down the corridor towards the legendary warrior, a suddenly nervous Ryu glanced at the student turned reporter. "Excuse me, Kyosuke, but it looks like a lot of women are eager to claim me. So, if you'd give me some space, um -"  
  
"Certainly." Kyosuke graciously stepped to the side, leaving the corridor between Ryu and his fans clear of any obstacles.  
  
"Thanks, and cover your ears." Ryu drew his hands back and they suddenly glowed with an ethereal blue light. A look of steady concentration materialized on his face as he calculated the best vector for his plan of action. "Shinkuu ....."  
  
Kyosuke scratched his head, befuddled, as Ryu's beam cannon of a blast blew away every girl in front of himself and more. "Um, I swear this wasn't in the script ..."

* * *

_ Chapter Two, Interview with Rose  
Take One _  
  
"What about the actual mechanics of the battle?"  
  
"I'm getting there, young Jin. Youngsters these days are so impatient - why, in my day, children -"  
  
"_What did you just say about me?! Go, Blodia!!!!!_"

* * *

_ Chapter Two, Contestant Introduction  
Take One _  
  
"And finally the leader of the team, the host of the second World Warrior tournament! He began his career a long time ago when he murdered his master and went on a rampage. More than thirty-five years ago he formed the world criminal organization of Shadowlaw. A master of Psycho Power, this contestant is one of the strongest ranked in this tournament! Parents, keep your children close at hand, because here comes the dread master of Shadowlaw ... M. Bison!"  
  
But instead of the well-known and greatly feared image of Bison, there appeared someone else in the entrance of the arena. It was, perhaps, an equally infamous person. He wore a pink karate uniform with a black shirt underneath and rolled into the arena, crowing for all he was worth ...  
  
"Who the heck invited Dan?!" Jin screamed.

* * *

_ Chapter Two, Commercial Break  
Take Two _  
  
"That about wraps it up for now," Jin announced. "We'll be taking a short commercial break, but we'll be back with more and better. This tournament's only begun and the action is bound to become wild. Same time, same place, we'll be introducing more teams. This is Jin Saotome from Osaka stadium, stay glued to your television screens, because tonight we'll see two worlds truly collide."  
  
Dan Hibiki's face filled the holoprojector. "Yahoo! And kids, remember, Saikyo is going to win this tournament single-handedly!"

* * *

_ Chapter Three, Contestant Introduction  
Take Four _  
  
"And the final member of this team is one of the most feared and respected members of the wrestling circuit. He left his native Russia due to lack of competition. Once a tactician for the Red Army, he still trains hard by wrestling with bears! His signature wrestling technique was inspired when he was caught up in a tornado. He even has a scar on his back from an incident when he protected the ex-president of Russia from an assassination attempt. Ladies and gentlemen, without more ado here is the red cyclone ... Zangief!"  
  
A huge man wearing a red cape that completely concealed his body came striding out of the mist, his very steps making the earth tremble. He quickly joined his teammates at the podium and then threw off the cape, drawing gasps from all directions. "Yahoo! Let's hear it for Saikyo!" Dan crowed.  
  
"That's it!" Jin screamed, tearing his microphone off. "I'm going to have Dadallent kill the fool!"

* * *

_ Sado-Masochism  
Deleted Scene _  
  
Abruptly and rudely awakened by the hysteric shouting next door, Mason Storm grumbled curses under his breath as he hauled himself to his feet and shambled towards the door. It was four at night and a sinfully late hour for parties; unfortunately, years of law enforcement work had ingrained Mason with hair-trigger reflexes and he simply could not sleep at this level of noise. Muttering curses to himself, he flung his door open and stalked down the hallway to the source of the shouting.  
  
"It's me, of course!"  
  
"You? Don't make me laugh!"  
  
"Ha, like either of you have a right to talk! I've been doing this since long before you two were born!"  
  
"You want to make an issue of it?!"  
  
Mason flung the door open and it crashed into the opposite wall with a resounding slam, silencing the occupants of the particular room. His still-sleepy eyes glared at the three women in front of him - Cammy, Chun-Li, and Morrigan Aensland. Eyebrows bristling, Mason growled, "I'm trying to get some sleep here. What's this argument all about?"  
  
"Mason," Cammy asked, "of us three, which do men most prefer being beaten up by?"

* * *

_ Chapter Four, Evil Ryu's Entrance  
Take One _  
  
"Aargh ... fight me, one of you!" he cried.  
  
McGrath settled into a combat stance, his face grim. "Very well then, let's go, my palette-swapped friend ..."

* * *

_ Chapter Four, Ken x Samantha  
Take One _  
  
"Your husband doesn't need to know, right? I heard from Guile that the military makes plenty of last-minute schedule changes. You could pull one off." Had Ken been less enamored of Samantha, he might have noticed that Kirina had stopped staring at him or that Maki's commentary had abruptly ceased. But he recklessly pushed on. "Besides, it's a real high class restaurant; we could even stop by the jeweller's on the way back. I'll buy you a gem that costs more than a soldier makes in half a year. And really, nobody would find out. Why not tell your husband that you've been given an emergency mission?  
  
"Why not tell him yourself? He _is_ standing behind you, after all."  
  
"Wha -?" Ken whirled around, to find McGrath staring down at him with folded arms and looking decidedly threatening. He nearly fell out of his chair. "Y - you?! You're the husband?!"  
  
"Yes, I am! _Maximize!_"

* * *

_ Chapter Four, The Hunt for Bison  
Take One _  
  
"Bison!" Marching up a floor, a sizable crowd of the tournament's fighters actively sought out the room of the dread lord of Shadowlaw. "You can't hide forever! Show yourself! Aha, there you are!" They converged towards a room where a trio of voices could be heard.  
  
"No, I absolutely refuse to appear looking like this!" Bison shouted.  
  
"Whatever, man," Vega replied, "just hurry up, it's your cue!" So saying, he and Balrog shoved Bison into the hall. The lord of Shadowlaw stumbled for a moment and nearly tripped, cursing his subordinates as he did so. Vega locked the door behind himself. Then Bison caught sight of the other fighters and scowled. "Don't be fooled, this is what happens when you let your flunkies get high!"  
  
He was wearing a woman's wig, his normally jet black hair concealed under a waterfall of blonde bangs and curls. A blouse had been stretched over his chest and a pair of earrings clipped to each ear. Somebody had applied blush and mascara all over his face, as well as lipstick. He wore a pair of bracelets and a miniskirt, some dark hosiery stretched down his legs all the way to his feet, which were enclosed in stiletto heels. Bison's scowl deepened.  
  
Ryu collapsed laughing. "He he, I'm so sorry, he he ha ha, I just ... ha ha ... I just can't do this ... ha ha ha!"

* * *

_ Chapter Four, the Hunt for Bison  
Take Two _  
  
"Bison!" Marching up a floor, a sizable crowd of the tournament's fighters actively sought out the room of the dread lord of Shadowlaw. "You can't hide forever! Show yourself! Aha, there you are!" They converged towards a room where a trio of voices could be heard.  
  
"No, I absolutely refuse to appear looking like this!" Bison shouted.  
  
"Whatever, man," Balrog replied, "just hurry up, it's your cue!" So saying, he and Vega shoved Bison into the hall. The lord of Shadowlaw stumbled for a moment and nearly tripped, cursing his subordinates as he did so. Vega locked the door behind himself. Then Bison caught sight of the other fighters and scowled. "Don't be fooled, this is all that the costuming department had left!"  
  
He was wearing a pair of rabbit ears held up by springs attached to his hair. A large red cape had been wrapped completely around his frame, a red hood thrown back for the moment. A pair of ribbons adorned each wrist. In his right hand Bison carried a large wicker picnic basket and he wore a white apron underneath the cape. A plastic butterfly pinned to his chest completed the look. Bison's left hand held a leash with the other end chewed off and his scowl deepened.  
  
"You know," Ryu commented at last, "I've heard of cosplayers doing some crazy things, but this is just ridiculous."

* * *

_ Chapter Four, __Goudan_ Test  
Take One   
  
Ryu sat on the floor, crosslegged and breathing evenly, obviously attempting to meditate. Sakura would have closed the door and waited outside had not a brief glint of light caught her eye. Peering in just a little deeper, she saw Dr. McGrath standing behind Ryu with a glittering blade in hand. Right before her astonished eyes, he drew back and all silently prepared to strike at Ryu's exposed neck, his aura flaring with deadly intent. "Ryu! Watch out!"  
  
Ryu looked up and was about to reassure Sakura, while behind him McGrath swore and tried to recall the swing of the blade. Unfortunately, Ryu's movement had taken him too far back and McGrath could not effectively stop the momentum of the swing. The sword flashed through the air and made a quiet snick as it sheared cleanly through Ryu's neck. A moment later, blood began to fountain out of the headless corpse.  
  
"Omigosh!" Sakura screamed. "You killed Ryu!"

* * *

_ Chapter Five, Demitri vs. Hiryu  
Take One _  
  
Hiryu was standing next to Demitri and had changed for both better and worse. Better, because Demitri had contacted him and transformed him into a woman, thus improving his looks immensely. From the sidelines, Ruby Heart whistled - Hiryu'd have no trouble winning a pageant with his - her - whatever! - newly acquired looks. Worse, because next moment Demitri seized Hiryu by the neck and was feeding on his opponent's blood. The attack lasted only for a moment, then Demitri threw Hiryu to the side and wiped his lips in one fluid motion. There was a puff of smoke and Hiryu stumbled to the dirty tiles. When she stood up, Hiryu must've sensed something wrong with her balance. A single glance at her body confirmed this. "Demitri, you're supposed to change me back after the attack!"  
  
"I think everyone would agree that you look better this way," Demitri replied smoothly. A moment later he changed himself into a swarm of bats and began to fly away.  
  
"What the -! Hey, wait, Demitri! Wait! Wait!!!"

* * *

_ Chapter Six, Cherry Park Battle  
Take One _  
  
At the same instant, both men launched their deadly energy projectiles. Ryu's took the form of a mighty blast of white light, a single continuous stream of energy that poured forth from his palms. The tan warrior released a gigantic sphere of flames the size of his whole body. Their two attacks collided in midair, but only for a moment; at that instant, the sphere of flames split apart and Ryu's beam cannon of a projectile continued onwards. There was no time to dodge; the man wearing tan took the attack head-on and an explosion of cherry petals obscured the sight of all present. When the dust subsided, all three of the men had been laid flat on the ground, the fight obviously knocked out of them.  
  
"Time to get us some answers," Ken growled. He stepped up to his opponent and laid a hand on the mask. All three were still conscious, but the fight had already ended. Ken tore the mask off in one swift motion. "What the - you're alive?!"  
  
"You may have won now, but Saikyo is still the strongest!" Dan crowed.

* * *

_ Chapter Six, Gouken meets Kirina  
Take One _  
  
"Some things never change ..." Gouken muttered to himself. "Eh, who's that?"  
  
Ryu eyed the figure running towards them. "My daughter."  
  
"But you aren't married," Gouken pointed out, "so how does that work? You haven't adopted either, so that means ... Ryu ..."  
  
"Look, dad, I can explain," Ryu began nervously.  
  
"Explain it to this! _Ashura Hadouken!_"

* * *

_ Chapter Six, Night of Surprises  
Take One _  
  
"Regina sings beautifully," Ken Masters sighed at his table. He glanced craftily at the table's other occupants, winking at Gouken. "I wonder if she'd be willing to go out with me later. Hey, you're only in trouble once caught, right?"  
  
"You never will grow up, will you?" Guy ribbed.  
  
"By the way," Go Hibiki inquired, "where is my son Dan?"  
  
"Right here!" Dan dropped from the rafters above and landed heavily on the table, bringing it crashing into the floor in two pieces. He jumped up and flexed an enormous bicep. "I'm teaching the world the strength of Saikyo in your memory, father! Yahoo!"

* * *

_ Chapter Seven, the Advocate of Justice  
Take One _  
  
From the other side of the battlefield, Edgar fixed his gaze on the opposing team. "Hmph. The Triple Dragons. Dragons are invariably associated with gangs. They even had a village handed to them by the crime kingpin Gill. Even more damning evidence comes from the fact that their godfathers are the eight crime lords of the Chinese mafia. The verdict: Guilty! We must purge the world of scum of their type!" Edgar raised a fist to the sky and posed magnificently. Then he collapsed into laughter. "I - I'm s-sorry, I c-can't do this w-with a straight f-face," he managed to rasp out between laughs.

* * *

_ Chapter Eight, Ryu's Debriefing  
Take One _  
  
"You know," Ryu commented as he, Sagat, Gouken, and Kirina clustered around a small television, watching a replay of the fight that had just occurred, "I've faced some goofballs in battle before - Dan comes to mind in particular, may he rest in peace ..."  
  
"What did you say about me?" The door came down with an earsplitting crash and Dan rolled into the room. "Saikyo is the strongest style! You can fight, but you can't show off like me!"

* * *

_ Chapter Eight, A Brief History of Street Fighter  
Take One _  
  
"This tournament's worse than any other that we've ever been in," Ken stated. "The first World Warrior tournament, it was a megalomaniac who wanted to be acknowledged as the mightiest fighter on Earth." Ken ducked gamely as Sagat aimed a kick at his forehead. "The second tournament, it was a mad dictator bent on eliminating his biggest opponents. The third, it was a self-styled god looking to establish Utopia. And now we're dealing with actual gods, who I might add are giving me the creeps. This is why I became an atheist, you see. I believe only in myself."  
  
_Then let me change your religion. Your soul is mine!_

* * *

_ Chapter Nine, You're Married?!?!  
Take One _  
  
"Oh, Mason, you're so brave," Kikoken gushed.  
  
Darrell and Kenneth glanced at each other before the former pointed out, "You know, he's married."  
  
Kikoken sprang back from Mason as though his skin had burned her. "What?! You're married? Mason Storm, how could you betray me like that?! Why didn't you mention that you ... you were married? I ... I had feelings ..." She choked back her tears while Mason could only stare, too surprised to say anything, noting resentfully that Darrell and Kenneth had doubled over with silent laughter behind Kikoken's back. "I love you, Mason ... but you betrayed that love ... like a rose that blooms in the wintertime, so cruelly swept away by the elements ..." She looked away, then began to giggle and a moment later fell over laughing. "I'm ... ha ha ... I'm sorry ... he he ... I can't do this ... ha ha ha ... sappy dialogue ... leave it to someone ... like ... Chan, ha ha ha ..."

* * *

_ Chapter Nine, Under Siege  
Take Two _  
  
Blake put his back to Kenneth and Darrell. Loss of blood was beginning to make him unsteady, but he was aware that both of his friends were worse off. The commandos split apart, one of them circling to his left and the other to his right. Blasted enemies; they were certainly well-trained. He didn't recognize any telltale insignias. He designated the man to the right as his target; if Darrell and Kenneth could hold out long enough, he could take both of the commandos separately.  
  
"Man, this sucks," Darrell complained, standing up and throwing off the fake blood plastered over his expensive silk shirt. "In my own story I could take all six of these fools with one hand tied behind my back. Why the heck did I agree to this?"  
  
"Yeah, no kidding," Kenneth agreed. He brushed some of the blood off his jacket and swaggered over to Darrell. "I know what you mean, Darrell. We ought to be able to beat all these guys senseless in a few seconds, but instead we can barely take two opponents."  
  
"That's what usually happens when a character's fighting ability is adjusted for inflation!" Blake snapped.

* * *

_ Chapter Ten, Marin Trains Regina  
Take One _  
  
Marin gestured and the blade floated into her hands; she offered the sword to Regina again. "Attack me one more time and aim for my heart. I shall not try to defend myself. Do not fear to injure me." So saying, Marin spread her hands wide and left her chest completely exposed, open for an attack. She fixed a steady gaze on Regina. Regina drew a deep breath and pulled her hand back, then unleashed a furious thrust directed straight at the center of Marin's chest. The attack struck true.  
  
"A - oh no!" Regina screamed as Marin crumbled to the ground, a sword transfixed through her heart. "Help! I think I just killed Marin!"

* * *

_ Chapter Ten, Samantha vs. Cody  
Take One _  
  
Cody roared in pain; turning around, he seized Samantha's hair and began to mercilessly beat at her face, leaving bloody trails running down her cheeks. Samantha grunted and snapped a kick up at his face; the blow landed solidly but Cody continued regardless. Then, to the shock of all present, he grabbed her breast and squeezed.  
  
"You bastard!" Blake shouted.  
  
"Technically, that's not true," Cody corrected. "The dictionary definition of 'bastard' is an illegitimate child who is acknowledged by neither ..."

* * *

_ Chapter Ten, Samantha vs. Cody  
Take Four _  
  
Cody roared in pain; turning around, he seized Samantha's hair and began to mercilessly beat at her face, leaving bloody trails running down her cheeks. Samantha grunted and snapped a kick up at his face; the blow landed solidly but Cody continued regardless. Then, to the shock of all present, he grabbed her breast and squeezed.  
  
"You bastard!" Blake shouted.  
  
Shaking off a rivulet of blood that threatened to cloud her vision, Samantha frantically signaled Blake out of running in to assist her. But he ignored the signal and did so anyway. A moment later, they were both on the ground scuffling and Samantha sighed. "That's the fourth time we've had to do this scene," she muttered.

* * *

_ Chapter Ten, Samantha vs. Cody  
Take Six _  
  
Cody roared in pain; turning around, he seized Samantha's hair and began to mercilessly beat at her face, leaving bloody trails running down her cheeks. Samantha grunted and snapped a kick up at his face; the blow landed solidly but Cody continued regardless. Then, to the shock of all present, he grabbed her breast and squeezed.  
  
"You bastard!" Blake shouted.  
  
Shaking off a rivulet of blood that threatened to cloud her vision, Samantha frantically signaled Blake out of running in to assist her. Blake ignored the order but fortunately Lloyd was also standing by in the sidelines and locked Blake's shoulders. The younger _Phantom_ strained before kicking Lloyd and jumping in. Snarling to himself, the British soldier gave chase and tried to keep Blake beyond punching distance of Cody. Cody snickered as the two of them fell to grappling along the ground, rolling in the sand. They pulled each other to the edge and both fell into the Nile River.  
  
"You're enjoying this scene, aren't you?" Samantha accused.  
  
"Who, me?" Cody protested, his voice attempting to feign an air of injured innocence. He indicated a black eye, multiple cuts all over his body, and a number of bruises where Samantha had kicked at him earlier. "I suffer as much as you do from all these retakes."

* * *

_ Chapter Eleven, Dinner with Regina  
Take One _  
  
_Hmm?_ Regina looked closely at Ken. _His aura is very strong right now. It's a happy one, yes, but also quite nervous ..._  
  
"... If you say no, um, I understand, but all the same ..."  
  
_His skin is flushed and he's perspiring heavily._ Regina studied him with both eyes, a look of concern appearing on her delicate features. _His body temperature is above what is normal for a human. His heart is racing, too ... there's something stirring in his blood, that's certain - oh no! Don't tell me ... he's caught a fever?!_ Regina locked her eyes on Ken's and concentrated, hard.  
  
"... So, uh, I was wondering if ..."  
  
"Ken, what're you saying? You're burning up! Here, come with me!" Regina jumped up and her aura flared, an overwhelming presence that nearly knocked Ken out of his seat. The entire room shifted, blurred, disappeared ... when it shifted back into focus again, Regina was standing in Ken's room and Ken himself was pushed back into his bed by an unseen force. He tried to struggle, but the invisible force had him pinned quite firmly.  
  
"Huh, what? No, wait!" Ken wailed as his blankets seemed to rise of their own volition and nearly smother him. "Look, I swear that I'm not sick!"  
  
"Don't overexert yourself!" Regina cried. "Now, this will help calm you," she promised as her hands began to glow. She laid a finger on Ken's forehead.  
  
"N-no, wait! I ... I'm not ... uhhhhh ... sick ..." _Not now, just when I'd finally worked up the courage!_ Ken's eyelids felt as though they were weighted down by lead and he dozed off. His breathing stabilized and the tension left his body. Within half a minute he was in a deep, recuperative sleep.

* * *

_ Chapter Eleven, Precision Training  
Take One _  
  
"Let that be a demonstration to you," McGrath spoke. "The mark of a fighter's prowess isn't raw power. It's precision. Like Goutetsu used to tell Gouken, Akuma, and myself, 'Skill over strength, spirit over skill.' You all have power - there's no denying that - now learn how to direct it and you'll become truly strong."  
  
"I haven't seen you throw any projectiles!" Ryu heckled good-naturedly.  
  
"Alright then, hold still." McGrath drew his hands back and concentrated, then let loose with both arms spread high and low. Nothing appeared, but a moment later something hit Ryu with the sound of a crack of thunder and the wandering warrior went sailing out of the gym as though shot from a cannon.

* * *

_ Chapter Eleven, Precision Training  
Take One _  
  
Quickly and efficiently, his right hand shot forward and his fingers unfurled. Nothing visible emerged; he repeated this four more times, then stood up. Ryu felt his jaw drop at he looked at the target. Whereas he and Sagat had littered the target with a number of scorch marks all bunched close to the center, McGrath's wooden board showed no sign of having been hit at all. The doctor facefaulted. "Dang, must've missed the board completely ..."  
  
"And who were you calling a newb?" Darrell asked suggestively.

* * *

_ Chapter Eleven, Precision Training  
Take Two _  
  
Quickly and efficiently, his right hand shot forward and his fingers unfurled. Nothing visible emerged; he repeated this four more times, then stood up. Ryu felt his jaw drop at he looked at the target. Whereas he and Sagat had littered the target with a number of scorch marks all bunched close to the center, McGrath's wooden board showed no sign of having been hit at all. The doctor growled. "Come on, you stupid fireball, come out already." He fired one last time, with as much energy as he could muster into his hands. McGrath flew backwards as if propelled from a cannon, his flight only broken when he crashed into the hotel building. "Argh ... that wasn't it ..."

* * *

_ Chapter Eleven, Precision Training  
Take Three _  
  
Quickly and efficiently, his right hand shot forward and his fingers unfurled. Nothing visible emerged; he repeated this four more times, then stood up. Ryu felt his jaw drop at he looked at the target. Whereas he and Sagat had littered the target with a number of scorch marks all bunched close to the center, McGrath's wooden board showed no sign of having been hit at all. The doctor swore lividly. "Confound this blasted scene! It has to be the wind! _Maximize!_"  
  
Ryu winced as McGrath rushed forward, covering the fifty meters at an impossible speed and beating the target into splinters. "I think somebody has problems with anger management. Time to call the visual effects editors."

* * *

_ Chapter Twelve, Pre-Fight  
Take One _  
  
"New Generation Team, name your tactical leader," Jedah commanded.  
  
"Me." Sakura raised a hand.  
  
"No, I want to be the leader," Darrell interrupted.  
  
"What? You? No, I'm the only one suited to be leader," Sakura shot back.  
  
"Screw you two, I'm the leader," Mitsukake cut in.  
  
"Like hell you are!" Darrell shouted, a flame appearing in his hands. "Tell you what, why don't we fight for the position, huh? Last one left standing gets to be the leader!" Without waiting for an answer, he fired off a pair of flames at both Mitsukake and Sakura.  
  
"You know," Ryu commented as the three disappeared into a cloud of dust, "the Wrestlers' Association was bad with teamwork, but this is ridiculous."

* * *

_ Chapter Twelve, Bad News  
Take One _  
  
"And of course, there is the well-known and still unexplained voice at the opening ceremony. Many witnesses clearly identified a feminine voice promising money, glory, and divinity to the winners of the tournament; however, no footage from the stadium has this recording when it supposedly happened. To sum up, many of the events surrounding the World Collision tournament are unexplained. The tournament organizers did not return calls asking for comments. In other news, a derailed train in Tokyo ..."  
  
"Well, what do you think?" Chan asked. Guile hit the remote and the television died.  
  
Before McGrath could give the proper response, another voice rang out from above. All eyes turned upwards, where a man clad in a pink uniform swung from a glass chandelier overhead and whooped out his message. "I think that Saikyo is the strongest!" Dan shouted jubilantly. "All you need to do is learn Saikyo and all the mysteries will be cleared away! The intensive mental training of Saikyo ensures that you will never be caught by surprise or deceit! Join now! Limited one time offer: If you join the Saikyo dojo today, I'll throw in a bonus karaoke lesson for free! Yahoo!"  
  
Snarling, Jill Valentine and Blake Wallis produced a handgun and a rifle, respectively, from out of nowhere. A moment later both had hit the chandelier and it came crashing down to where McGrath had stood but a moment ago. Dazed, Dan staggered upright, gave a thumbs up, yelled "Rachoo!" and rolled out of the room, still advertising as he did so. Ryu growled under his breath. "Doesn't anyone stay dead?" he shouted.  
  
"No," Bison replied.  
  
"No," Charlie chipped in.  
  
"I'm afraid not," Rose said.  
  
"You'd think, right?" Guy asked.  
  
"Definitely not," Gouken agreed.  
  
"Besides, what's the fun in that?" Zeku asked.

* * *

_ Chapter Thirteen, Pre-Fight  
Take One _  
  
Ice. As far as the eye could see, the island of Svalbard was covered in ice. A mountain towered in the distance, illuminated only by the play of the Northern Lights. The chosen battlefield was a lake that was entirely covered by several feet of rock-solid ice. The surface shimmered dimly like a rainbow mirror. The aurora was unusually brilliant this night and despite the below-freezing temperature nobody actually felt cold. More of Marin's odd power at work, Cammy White supposed. She tested the ice with a hard stomp, then a diving Cannon Spike aimed straight into the ground. The ice cracked, gave way, split, and Cammy fell into the frozen water with a shriek. The ice wobbled a bit before settling back on the surface.  
  
Bison sighed. "Alright, bring in the understudy. And make some more backup clones, just in case!"

* * *

_ Chapter Fifteen, Search for Clues  
Take One _  
  
"... Anything, anything at all. I don't care how unimportant it might seem, please, is there anything else you can tell me?" Ernest McGrath faced Sakura Kasugano and Darrell Markis, pleading for more details. The three of them were seated in the dining room of the hotel, McGrath having brought a pencil and notepad. "Was there anything at all that seemed out of place to you, Sakura?"  
  
"Sakura baby?" Darrell prompted.  
  
"Call me that again in public, Darrell," Sakura snapped, "and I'll Hadouken you all over the pavement."

* * *

_ Chapter Fifteen, Family Feud  
Take One _  
  
McGrath sighed. "None of this makes any sense. If I had my way, I'd try to sort out all the evidence tonight. There's a definite picture emerging, but ... my wife wants to spent the night at a fancy restaurant and I couldn't refuse her."  
  
"Oh, really?" Darrell asked. "You lettin' a woman dictate what you do? Why, it's totally different in my house. Sakura knows exactly what's expected of her; by the time I come home, the food better be on the table, and if it ain't, I slap her across the face. I know that she'll do the laundry and leave enough hot water for me when I need to shower. You gotta show your woman who's the boss, doc."  
  
"What did you say?" a new voice demanded. Darrell jumped with fright as Sakura stormed into the dining room, eyes blazing. "Well, Darrell? Cat got your tongue? Maybe I ought to jog your memory: 'you gotta show your woman who's the boss', eh? Well, show me!"  
  
"Aah, help!" Darrell jumped up as Sakura pounded after him like a tank. "Help, I'm being murdered!"  
  
"Here's for your reference! Hadouken!"  
  
"I-I'm s-sorry, I'm sorry! Aah!"  
  
"Save it, Darrell! Shou'oken!"  
  
"Ow ow ow! Doctor, help me will you? Help!"  
  
"Take back everything that you said, Darrell! Or else -!"  
  
"Okay, okay, okay!"  
  
"Nekketsu ..."  
  
"Noooo! Spare me! Alright, alright, _you're_ the boss, Sakura baby! Aah!"  
  
"_Hadouken!_"  
  
McGrath sighed quietly, gazing at a two-meter hole blown cleanly through the wall of the hotel. Sakura's hands steamed. "I've had some disagreements with Samantha before," McGrath remarked, "but I can't remember any of our arguments ending like this."

* * *

_ Chapter Fifteen, Meet the Lian  
Take Two _  
  
"You're drunk and even if you weren't you're rather slow-witted to begin with," Kikoken answered amiably. "Perhaps you could deal with me, but Darrell is looking rather annoyed right now. And, you'd also have to reckon with Crystal over there."

* * *

_ Chapter Fifteen, Meet the Lian  
Take Four _  
  
"... And, you'd also have to reckon with Crystal over there ..."

* * *

_ Chapter Fifteen, Meet the Lian  
Take Five _  
  
"... And, you'd also have to reckon with Crystal over there ..."

* * *

_ Chapter Fifteen, Meet the Lian  
Take Seven _  
  
"... And, you'd also have to reckon with Crystal -"  
  
"It's Chan, dammit!" Bison exploded.  
  
"Chan, Chan, Chan," Kikoken correctly hastily. "My bad. That's right, it's Chan ..."

* * *

_ Chapter Sixteen, Marriage Woes  
Take One _  
  
"Dunno about Sean and Kenneth, but I'm sticking around." Ken glanced around the room, taking it in with a single glance. He was wearing the sweater that Regina had knitted for him and he turned to wink at Ryu. "Plenty of attractive ladies here, huh? I'm sure that at least one of them would be willing to go out with m-"  
  
Gouken cleared his throat.  
  
"With, uh ... Mel! Yeah, that's right," Ken finished lamely. "Hey, a father's got to look out for his son, right?"  
  
"Good point, Ken," Gouken replied. "Ryu, I think it's about time you proposed to Chun-Li."  
  
"I know you're joking, father," Ryu answered quietly, "but if you ever bring up the subject of marriage again I'll Hadouken you all over the pavement."

* * *

_ Chapter Sixteen, the Deadly Chaos Prince  
Take One _  
  
"Ken and I once fought him, two on one. That was seven years ago and we both nearly lost our lives in the match. He only appeared a few years after your death, dad, but he casts a very long shadow in the fighters' world. He's killed many, many masters, people that I knew, fought, respected, sometimes learned from or studied under. You know how unbelievably skilled Dr. McGrath has become, right? And you've also heard of Gill, no doubt. Dadallent fought the two over a span of five years. Gill and McGrath are far above my level -"  
  
"Not mine," Ken interrupted gleefully.  
  
Behind him, two men cleared their throats.  
  
"Shit," Ken swore.

* * *

_ Chapter Sixteen, a Game of Fortune Special  
Take One _  
  
_"MAMA!"_  
  
Kirina's eyes exploded into the size of teacups. Bison's eyes bulged; even Ruby Heart seemed startled, while Ryu had turned as pale as a sheet. Blake Wallis gave off a low whistle of disbelief. In an instant, it seemed that everyone was looking for either the child or the most likely culprit. Kirina's eyes whipped around in every direction before seeing the person who had called her. "Risa, what're you doing here?"  
  
"Come and play with me, mama 'Rina!" Five-year-old Risa Shoukimenji climbed into Kirina's lap dragging a doll in one hand.  
  
"We're busted, Kirina!" Kenneth shouted wildly as he scrambled up, barely dodging a Hadouken from Ryu. "Run for it!"

* * *

_ Chapter Seventeen, the Cheap-as-Hell Girlfriend  
Take One _  
  
"Good. We really don't need any more disappearances." Commando ran a hand through his hair. "Here comes Hiryu with his cheap-as-hell girlfriend -"  
  
"_I am not cheap!_" Chan shrieked.

* * *

_ Idle Threats?  
Deleted Scene _  
  
"Erm ..." Kikoken mumbled, "am I asking too much if I want you to go easy on me?"  
  
"Yes!" Strider roared as he raced forward with a mighty slash from the Cypher Blade. Kikoken vaulted into the air and narrowly avoided another backslash. When she landed, Strider twisted around and threw a wheeling slash aimed at her neck. This she managed to duck and in an instant she retaliated with a powerful roundhouse kick to the chest. "Ouch! You're going to pay for that, kid!"  
  
"_Heeeeeeelp!_" Kikoken screamed as she fled in panic.

* * *

_ Chapter Seventeen, Sparring  
Take One _  
  
"How'd it go?" Zeku asked.  
  
Kirina paused for a moment, drawing breath. "Well, I kicked his worthless rear -"  
  
"Ignore her, I won," Blake interrupted.  
  
"Says who? You were the one whining about taking a Hadouken to the -"  
  
"I didn't see you last very long under my Wolf tactics."  
  
"Why you - Hadouken!"  
  
"Ha, you call _that_ a fireball? Here, watch this -!"  
  
Ryu smiled approvingly as he watched Blake and Kirina vanished into a fray of fists and feet. "My daughter seems to get along very well with Blake," he observed.

* * *

_ Chapter Seventeen, How not to Romance a Goddess  
Take One _  
  
"Well, uh - I wanted to give you this!" Ken blurted out, holding up a small velvet box and feeling his face redden.  
  
He pulled the box open and Regina gasped; a ring set with thirty-two small gems on its perimeter glittered in the afternoon sun. "Ken! I don't believe the nerve of you, trying to pass off zirconium as a genuine diamond! Don't you know that it's not about the looks of the jewels, but the authencity that proves a man's sincerity?"  
  
"What!" Ken protested indignantly. "But I am sincere!"  
  
When Regina rejoined the group two minutes later, she was quite alone and had not slipped on the ring. "Hello, Regina," Blake said politely. "Say, what happened with Ken?"  
  
"Oh, he wanted to give me a present but bought fake jewelry," Regina answered lightly. Behind her, Gill experienced something akin to apoplexy. "He kept insisting that his motive was sincere, though, so I took the liberty of allowing him to prove it. He makes a very beautiful gift indeed." Regina laughed and extended her left hand, showing Blake a slim, feminine wristwatch studded with diamonds. As the _Phantom_ gazed down upon it, he felt all of the blood drain away from his face. The watch showed Ken's hapless face staring back from the surface of the piece, his arms slowly marking off the time for Regina. As Blake stared at Ken's helpless expression, Regina again giggled and smiled sweetly. "Well, does anyone else want to try picking me up?"

* * *

_ Chapter Eighteen, Here Comes a New Challenger  
Take One _  
  
_Begin!_  
  
The impossibly bright light flashed for an instant, temporarily blinding both contestants. They both recovered near instantly - and McGrath felt, to his horror, a sudden and familiar aura explode all around him. A moment later he could discern its intent. Blake dove in with a mighty punch that would've stunned a bull upon connection, but McGrath slid to the side. "Blake! Move, now!" He reached out and pulled Blake by the shoulders, dragging him away just as a dark shape hurtled past the _Phantom_ and skidded to a halt a few meters beyond. With one mighty effort, McGrath shoved Blake a good half dozen meters away. There was no time to think, or even react; a bright light pierced through the clouds overhead and shone around McGrath and the new entry, enclosing them in a curtain of golden brilliance. It fanned out until it encompassed the whole battlefield, and for all that it looked like light, it might have been solid iron, completely impenetrable. Blake was caught along the light's advance and rolled ungracefully to the edge of the field, nearly crushed against the quarterdeck. McGrath, for his part, focused on the new arrival, and despite the fact that his opponent still wasn't facing him, he already knew who it was by the aura. The bright red character for father that appeared a moment later only confirmed his guess. McGrath's mouth bent downwards into a frown as he sank into a fighting stance to meet Dan Hibiki.  
  
_Oh well. At least he'll provide a good warm-up._

* * *

_ Chapter Nineteen, Bringing Down the Walls  
Take Two _  
  
Regina's palms erupted in a powerful stream of energy that nearly blinded Samantha's spiritual senses and, for a moment, overwhelmed both McGrath and Akuma. The attack struck the gold veil head-on with an energy that would have obliterated the Earth in a split second had Regina wished it. A roar like thunder rent through the air, deafening all present; when it had faded and the smoke cleared, Regina found herself staring in disbelief at the carnage before her. The golden veil had been shredded to pieces and the entire front half of Ruby Heart's ship blown cleanly away, with not a trace of Akuma or McGrath anywhere. As she gaped, still not quite comprehending what had happened, their side of the ship also began to sink.  
  
"You overdid it again, Regina," Lloyd sighed.  
  
"Not again!" Ruby Heart wailed. "It took me half a year to outfit that ship!"

* * *

_ Chapter Nineteen, Clash of the Titans  
Take One _  
  
Even though he'd avoided the worst of the attack, McGrath still smarted. Akuma launched a point-blank range fireball as McGrath reeled for a moment and the doctor had only the barest amount of time to knock it away into nothingness with a strike of his own. When Akuma jumped up and launched a fireball from the air, McGrath was ready; he skipped to the side, dodging the attack entirely, and the fireball blasted away a portion of the deck with a violent explosion.  
  
"Akuma, lighten up!" McGrath shouted over the storm. "Are you trying to kill me or something?"

* * *

_ Chapter Nineteen, Clash of the Titans  
Take Three _  
  
Akuma drove in for a second strike from above. McGrath deflected the attack harmlessly to the side, then seized his opportunity to step back and punch forward. Akuma blocked and countered, blurring out -  
  
No, he didn't! That was no blur, he'd disappeared entirely! For a moment, McGrath's eyes sought frantically before locating Akuma's aura ... above him! Akuma dove down with a lightning swift and merciless chop, striking McGrath heavily between the shoulder blades. From the sidelines, McGrath winced and called out, "Hey, go easy on the stunt doubles!"

* * *

_ Chapter Nineteen, Clash of the Titans  
Take Eleven _  
  
As Akuma returned to renew the attack, McGrath met him halfway and they stood deadlocked on the ship. But now McGrath was definitely moving more slowly; despite the fact that it wasn't by much, still he had lost his parity in tactical speed. Akuma swung around and clipped McGrath on the cheek; McGrath dropped to the rain-soaked floor, hard, and countered with a vicious sweep that Akuma hopped over. This was exactly what McGrath wanted; he alpha canceled the sweep into a Half-Moon Kick with superhuman speed, although his whole body screamed in protest. Both of his feet collided into Akuma's jaw and the Ansatsuken warrior was sent flying backwards for a few meters. Akuma crashed into the golden veil and this time did not regain his feet lightly. Wiping blood from his lips, he rasped out, "Listen, Ernest. You must remember that we are not truly trying to kill each other, we are simply doing this to put on a good show."  
  
"Dang it, we always screw this part up one way or another," McGrath swore violently. "I hate filming this scene!" He stomped on the deck hard, but it gave way and McGrath plummeted into the interior with a shout.  
  
"That's the sixth ship you two have ruined," Ruby Heart hissed testily.

* * *

_ Chapter Nineteen, Clash of the Titans  
Take Fifteen _  
  
"Any last words?"  
  
"Ernest!" Samantha shouted. "Ernest!" The seas heaved, nearly throwing her off her feet and causing the quarterdeck to split in two. Samantha lost her balance and collided with Lloyd; Regina floated an inch off the deck surface, looking for a entrance through the golden barrier. "No, Ernest!"  
  
McGrath whispered something.  
  
"What?" Akuma demanded, reaching down and grasping McGrath's shirt. A stroke of lightning illuminated his features; there was no mercy in his eyes, but there was a look of deep respect granted only to a worthy opponent whom one has overcome at last. As Akuma seized McGrath by the collar, he suddenly felt energy rush into his body along his arm, as much or even more than he had used to execute his devastating Kon Goku Koretsu Zan. Likewise, it was not friendly energy either. The power exploded and Akuma slumped down without a word next to McGrath.  
  
"All your base are belong to us," McGrath whispered, and his eyes closed too.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty, Remembering a Fallen Hero  
Take One _  
  
"Who was the Ernest McGrath whom you knew?" Samantha asked quietly.  
  
"I never knew him well," Gill replied. "He was a brilliant man, impossibly skilled - perhaps too skilled. His intellect served as a most formidable weapon and I would not wish to face him should the IDC ever oppose the Illuminati. I do not regret his passage from this world. In fact, I am of the opinion that Lady Marin did well to eliminate him."  
  
"You bastard," McGrath remarked from the editing room.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty, But you Married him ...  
Take One _  
  
"Let me get this straight," Blake cut in, at the same time neatly knocking a pawn off the board with his light-squared bishop. "You got married, just like this?" He snapped his fingers for emphasis as he stared at Regina. Lloyd stared too.  
  
"Well, of course," Regina replied, talking as if it were an everyday occurrence.  
  
"But ... you _married_ him!" Blake exclaimed. "And just because he was having a bad day? Would you marry me if I asked you?"  
  
Regina shot him a withering glare. "Of course not! Someone like you shouldn't marry in the first place, and I cannot believe that you would have the gall to ask that of me! Have you no respect for a goddess? In fact, I think I'll exercise my duty to punish you for your sins!" Blake started up, but Regina snapped a finger and he vanished with a plop of displaced air. Perched on the seat where Blake had been but a moment ago, a large bullfrog stared back up with unblinking eyes.  
  
"Dear sister, please learn to hold your temper," Marin sighed.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-One, A Kidnapper and Proud of It  
Take One _  
  
Vega shrugged and stretched. Then he brightened and added, "But, we did manage to kidnap that Kikoken girl after the funeral ended. Caught her right as she was getting off the airplane. Bison's going to drain her power and then she'll be mine - all mine!" He rubbed his hands in glee.  
  
"Why did I ever agree to this stupid show?" Kikoken complained.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Two, the Legendary IDC Vocabulary  
Take One _  
  
Blake sighed and ran a hand through his disorderly crop of hair. His father had tried to raise him free of dirty language and the IDC code of conduct strictly forbade any sort of profanity, but Blake felt a nearly irresistible urge to break those particular rules. Before joining with the IDC, he had been a legend on the streets of L.A. for being able to swear five full minutes without repeating a single word.  
  
"Prove it," Commando challenged.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Prove that you can swear five minutes without repeating a word," Commando said. "I'm timing you, too."  
  
"Um ... crap?" Blake offered lamely.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Two, Pre-Match Warmups  
Take One _  
  
Breathing in the morning air, Charlie paced around slowly on the world famous Golden Gate bridge, the site of the next scheduled battle. Further back behind him Guile and Scott Wagner were busy warming up with push-ups and sit-ups, the latter blazing through with twice the speed of the former. Wagner finished his set and sprang up. "You're getting out of shape, major!"  
  
"Bah, easy for you to say," Guile grunted. "I haven't kept up since I left the military eight years ago."  
  
"Results, not excuses," Wagner admonished.  
  
"Fine, you asked for it. Sonic Hurricane!"  
  
"Blast it, Guile!" Charlie roared. "You beat him up after the match, not before! Call in the next understudy!"

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Three, the Gate of True Hearts  
Take One _  
  
"That no longer matters," Dadallent stated coldly. "I heard your tale about the Gate of True Hearts, goddess. Very sentimental. Do you still not realize what lies before your very eyes?"  
  
"What do you mean?" Regina asked, looking up at him through tearstained eyes.  
  
"Let me put it this way, you might find yourself confronting that gate very soon."  
  
"I don't understand ..." Regina replied, sounding more confused than ever. "Are you saying that you love me? Because if so, then you're being horribly out of character and this passage will have to be edited.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Three, Mystery Fates  
Take One _  
  
Samantha's breath caught in her throat as she considered the mystery rider with disbelieving eyes. It was no man at all, it was a woman - one with flaming tresses that cascaded down to her shoulders now that the helmet was gone. "Marin ...?"  
  
The mystery rider stood up more erect and nodded. "I apologize, Samantha McGrath; I did not intend for this to occur."  
  
"What have you done to my husband?" Samantha whispered, cautiously edging closer. "To my friends?"  
  
Marin fidgeted. "Well, if you must know," she admitted at last, "I, uh ... had them for dinner. Well, lunch and dinner, to be more accurate."

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Four, a Twenty-Two Year Old ... Veteran?  
Take One _  
  
"Strange, isn't it?" Blake continued. He kicked a pebble out of his way. "Come to think of it, everything we've been through ... all the relief missions to Africa and Asia, Operation Judgment, the War of Ascendancy ... at least, back then we knew exactly what we were up against. And when we were assigned to this operation, I thought it'd just be another routine mission. Instead here we are caught up in some divine chess game without really knowing the rules. Kinda makes you realize, doesn't it ...? Life really is too short to be wasted."  
  
"Blake ... surprising to hear such sentiment from you," Samantha answered, turning to face her teammate.  
  
"You sound a battle-weary veteran, Blake," Lloyd chuckled.  
  
"Don't worry about me, I'm not getting soft," Blake retorted, perhaps a bit faster than was necessary. "Doc McGrath would burst a vein laughing if he could see us now."  
  
"He has no idea," McGrath remarked from Osaka stadium, barely able to hold back his laughter as it was.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Four, Massive Combos  
Take Two _  
  
But Strider caught up in an instant and then began laying into Lloyd; Blake, appearing to assist again, was knocked out of his attack by the Options. "Unbelievable!" Jin screamed ecstatically. "Thirty-five hit combo!"  
  
"Cheater!" Lloyd called. "The damage reduction rule should have activated a long time ago!"

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Five, A Stronger Team  
Take One _  
  
"Ryu, you and Ken were nearly killed in your previous battle against Dadallent. Aren't you worried at all?"  
  
Ryu shook his head confidently. "Not this time. No offense to Ken, but this time around I've a much stronger team at my back; besides -"  
  
"No offense?!" a white-faced Ken demanded angrily, his expression conveying the fact that he was indeed very offended.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Seven, Battle Lineups  
Take One _  
  
"What?!" Kirina shrieked in protest. "Me, go up first! Daddy, I can't take Strider, he'll rip me to shreds for breakfast! Tell me that you're joking," she pleaded.  
  
"Relax, Kirina," Ryu replied soothingly. "I found out that Ruby Heart is starting on the other -"  
  
"Then I'll be back in a few minutes!" Kirina called as she rushed off.  
  
Ryu scratched his head in puzzlement as he stared after the rapidly vanishing dust trail that his daughter left. "You do realize that your girl is still going to have her rear handed to her on a silver platter, right?" Sagat rumbled.  
  
"Pretty much," Ryu sighed.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Seven, Worthy Opponents  
Take One _  
  
Even as Commando projected a beam of material electricity high above his head - even as he cried "Captain Sword!" and brought it down with punishing force - the look of respect in his eyes never faded. The pillar of lightning crashed into the field and Ryu closed his eyes, for once glad that he had lost the battle.  
  
"Rubbish!" Ryu hollered as his eyes snapped open. "I'm never glad when I lose!"

* * *

_ Chapter Seven, Know your Mortality  
Take One _  
  
"Do not presume to trouble the Lady Regina with such an affair, mortal," Gill replied, just a hint of warning in his voice.

* * *

_ Chapter Seventeen, Know your Mortality  
Take Two _  
  
"Mind your manners when speaking to the Lady Regina, mortal!" Gill thundered.

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-One, Know your Mortality  
Take Two _  
  
Gill rumbled, "Do not presume to challenge a goddess, foolish mortal."  
  
"Y'know, Gill," McGrath remarked irritably, "have you ever noticed that characters who call other characters 'mortals' are usually dead by the end of the story? And that it's usually because the 'mortals' have offed them?"

* * *

_ Chapter Twenty-Nine, Know your Mortality  
Take One _  
  
When Marin stopped, Kirina saw that the other seven fighters had already congregated near the center. The goddess nodded to the assembled fighters. "Are you prepared, mortals? - Oops, I mean, I didn't mean to use that word!" Marin wailed. "Please, can we change the script!?"

* * *

_ Epilogue: 'Til we Meet Again  
Take One _  
  
A distant look glimmered in Hiryu's eyes as he held onto Chan, gazing into the far horizon where the first stars had begun to shine. "Anything sealed is destined to one day return. When she does, we must be ready for her. It is not enough to seal evil away - the next time, we must destroy it." He looked back down into Chan's eyes where tears glimmered. "Farewell forever, Chan."  
  
"Or at least until Colliding Worlds II," Chan sighed. 


End file.
